Legends of the Demon Duelist Chaos Arc
by Wolf General
Summary: Second arc of Legends of the Demon Duelist. The embodiment of chaos is coming. Can the eight elemental seals be unlocked before this occurs?
1. I have a what?

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 1: I have a what?

"Heads up Krieger!" A brown-haired, hazel-eyed young man in a pair of red gym shorts and a white t-shirt bend slowly at the knees as he watched the ball's flight path. Ichigo Pilkington leapt a clean ten feet into the air and slammed his fist down onto the volleyball, stopping its original flight path and sending it to his roommate instead.

His roommate, a slightly tall boy with brown hair and crystal blue eyes in the same attire saw the ball coming and made the correct adjustments to get to it. Krieger Reinhardt leapt back and shoved the ball as gently as he could from underneath, sending it sailing upwards in the air. "Coming your way Griff!"

The third member of the team was a dark-skinned boy with black hair and a pair of red-brown eyes. Griff Mohistava took a deep breath and focused as he saw the ball start its slow descent. ("Remember…don't hit it too hard. Last time you did they had to charge dad for the hole you made in the floor.") Bending at the knees, he pushed off and easily covered the distance between himself and the ball in a matter of moments. Lifting back his hand, he brought the appendage down onto the rubber sphere with the gentlest tap he could muster. It shuddered against his touch for a couple of seconds and then hurtled across the net like a rocket.

On the opposing team, a tall and well-built dark-skinned young man flicked his black pony-tail over one shoulder and prepared to make his attack on the incoming ball. Kenshin Anderson smirked as he watched the offending item's approach. "I'm glad to see that you are getting the hang of having demonic strength, Griff." His face went stern. "However, like all things in life I don't plan on being beaten at this!" With remarkable grace for someone with his musculature, he leapt into the air and knocked the ball downwards. "Hitokage!"

"I'm not blind." The speaker was a blond-haired jade-eyed Japanese boy wearing a white t-shirt and blue gym shorts. Hitokage Seijitsu casually uncrossed his hands and took two steps backwards. "This should be sufficient enough for even you, Zaytel." With the effort of stretching, he smacked the ball sideways and over to the third member of their group.

"Whatever you say, buddy!" The recipient of the incoming ball was a tall boy with spiky black-hair, who was wearing the same attire as his other two teammates. Adriel Zaytel pushed off of the ground and spiked the ball as hard as he could towards the ground on their opponent's field.

-

Daniel Pilkington tugged on his grey t-shirt and muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath about a couple of school rules. "I never thought I'd have to wear one of these stupid outfits ever again." He brushed some of the locks of his wild red hair back and glanced over at his two 'assistants' with his brown eyes. "What about you two?"

"Keh! There's nothing wrong with showing off your physique, if you have it of course," A raven black-haired man with gold-amber eyes said confidently. "After all, the great Rikuo Amero has nothing to hide about himself to his adoring public."

From next to him, a gold-haired silver-eyed man in similar gym attire snorted derisively. "Well aren't you being extra egotistical today? You don't see me running around calling myself the Grand Dragon General Jourgen Politumas anymore, do you? I'm Ryu Zaytel and that's all there is to me. Why didn't you ever come up with a new name for yourself?"

It was Rikuo's turn to snort. "Because I like my name. I can see why you might want to change your name though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The gold-haired dragon demon frowned and tapped his fingers on his forearms.

"It means that the name Jourgen sucks!"

-

"Go Griff!" A brown-haired girl, Sammy Coffin yelled out to the crowd from her seat in the bleachers. She and her friends didn't have anything to do for this hour, so they had come to cheer on their respective interests/friends.

"Come on Krieger, show some aggressiveness that I know you have in you!" A blond-haired girl, Ashley whistled to catch the half cat-demon's attention.

"Kenshin baby, show them why you're called the Crusader!" Ebony, Kenshin's girlfriend, grinned widely as she watched her boyfriend at work. If there was one thing she loved about him, it was the way he moved.

The fourth member of the girls sat silently in her seat. She had raven-black hair and a pair of crimson-gold eyes.

Sammy looked over and smiled wryly. "Hey Eri, doesn't Ichigo look cute in those gym shorts?"

"He'd look cuter on fire," Erika Amero replied coldly, her eyes watching the movement on the field only because of reflex.

"You have the sex drive of a corpse, you know that right?" Ashley muttered under her breath, knowing full and well that Eri could hear her.

-

Daniel rolled his eyes as the argument between Rikuo and Ryu had escalated to the point where the wolf demon and dragon demon had started to exchange physical blows. He wasn't afraid that one might kill or even injure the other, but he worried more for the damages they would cause to the gym. "Guys, can't you settle this with a method other than violence?"

Both demons froze, their fists still solidly planted in the other's face. As one they removed their hands and smirked calmly. "A duel? Fine!" In nearly perfect unison they ran over to their bags to get their duel disks…

…until an explosion echoed across the room. Smoke quickly filled the gym and left everyone scrambling for some kind of light to see what was going on.

Daniel could hear screams from the numerous students in the gym, and bit his lower lip. ("I can't see anything, smell anything, or hear anything well enough to find the air vent system!")

As quickly as the smoke had appeared though, it just as quickly disappeared. Though when everyone could see again they almost wished they could have just hid in the smoke cloud.

In nearly every position that someone could exit from was at least a dozen armed men in fatigues, each one holding a heavy assault rifle or stun gun.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" Daniel asked calmly. "This is a school ground, so if you could please avoid making any excessive noise it would be appreciated."

None of the guards made any noise or seemed inclined to move. They simply had their weapons trained on….Rikuo.

The wolf demon perked his ears and slid slowly into a martial arts stance. In his head he was calculating the chances that he could defeat this small army of at least two hundred men with heavy fire-power at their disposal. ("They should have brought another hundred and this might be a challenge.") Then he remembered that any stray fire could hit a student. ("Nevermind…looks like I have to be a good boy until we figure out what is going on.") Calmly, he returned to a normal standing position.

Ryu seemed fairly disinterested. If these soldiers wanted to fight then they'd simply be walking into their deaths.

"I've finally found you after all these years, Amero," an incredibly thick Texan accent drawled out from somewhere amongst the sudden throng of soldiers.

Rikuo turned so white that he seemed like he would die right there on the spot. ("It can't be…")

"You're very good at covering your tracks, but not good enough. When we last saw each other I promised that I would come and find you, and that is exactly what I have come to do." The man that stepped out from amongst the soldiers was a tall grey-haired and distinguished gentleman in a white business suit. On top of his head rested a white cowboy hat. Stroking his white mustache, the man continued to talk. "Now then, mister Amero. If you'll be giving me my payment then I'll gladly leave without a fight. However…if you deny me now…" He snapped his fingers and soldiers raised their weapons to point at random groups of students, all of which were too frightened to do much more than stand silently.

While the man had been talking Rikuo had been taking small half-steps towards the nearest exit. ("Screw the humans…I'm out of here!") Spinning around, he nearly made a run for it but was stopped cold by a tight grip around his right wrist.

Daniel spun his other half around to face him. "You're gonna run from this guy? If you owe him something then pay up and let's move on! What could he do to hurt you anyway?"

Rikuo gulped loudly and refused to shed the white pallor that adorned his cheeks. "It isn't him I'm worried about though…it's…it's…"

Eri walked past the soldiers without the slightest bit of fear. She stood in front of the business-suited man and glared coldly. "What business do you have with my father?"

The man looked taken aback for a few moments, and then it seemed like tears of joy were running down his face. "It's…you!" Before Eri could protest he wrapped the girl into a huge hug. "I've finally found you Erika! After all of these years I get to meet my grand-daughter in person!"

"Grand-daughter?" Eri was too confused to even attempt to dislodge herself from this crazy human.

"Grand-daughter?" Daniel echoed incredulously. "Rikuo, care to explain?"

The wolf demon's face had returned to its normal pallor, and he coughed sagely with his eyes closed.

Everyone, the man and Eri included, all looked at Rikuo and waited for an answer.

"No." Rikuo turned on one heel and charged for the wall. He could take the pain of running straight through stone over what alternatives there were to it.

Ryu snapped his foot out and tripped the wolf demon, watching Rikuo slide along the ground and slam face-first into the wall. "I think you owe all of us an explanation, Amero."

"Perhaps I can shed some light on your misunderstanding," the white-suited man released the still stupefied Eri and tugged on his tie. "My name is Justus Beauregard, owner of the Duel Monsters themed casino chains. I'm here because mister Amero owes me a certain debt from a wager he and I had about eleven years ago."

"Okay then Colonel Sanders, what did Rikuo lose to you?" Daniel really didn't have anything personal against Justus, but anyone who broke into his class and caused a commotion got an immediate dislike mark in his book.

The white-suited man let the insult slide, knowing that he deserved it for his rather uncouth manner of dealing with this situation. "He owes me…" He let the sentence draw out for dramatic pause. "His daughter's hand in marriage."

"…….." Everyone in the room was not just silent, but deathly silent. All eyes turned to look at Rikuo, who continued to edge towards the nearest exit. Then all eyes turned to look at said daughter.

Eri stood there, both of her eyes twitching rapidly and veins bulging out of her forehead. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Justus reached into his coat and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. "This contract gives over the marriage rights of Erika Amero to me. She will marry my grandson and they will continue to supply our family with a blood-line."

"…………" Eri was beyond words. All that was left was a black aura of flame that surrounded her. She stomped past Justus and Daniel. Ryu had already casually moved aside to clear her path to the one person she wanted to speak with at the moment.

"Now Princess….you have to understand…" Rikuo stumbled backwards until he hit the wall of the gym. "…the circumstances for this situation are very unique…."

The fires around the still silent Eri flared larger.

Daniel walked over and smacked Rikuo in the back of the head. "What the heck are you babbling about, you idiot? How could you treat your daughter like an object that you can trade? Isn't she worth more than…"

"It was one hundred million dollars!" Rikuo covered his head with his hands. "And it was at a game I thought I had understood. Poker didn't seem that hard at the time!"

"You actually have your daughter priced at one hundred million dollars, don't you?" Daniel dead-panned, knowing that if Eri attacked his other half now he wouldn't try to stop her.

Rikuo stood up straight and shook his head. "Wrong! She's actually worth ninety million dollars to me! I had a good deal going in that bet…"

"Where did you get that number from?" Eri looked like she was about to explode.

Rikuo pointed at Ryu. "I called Jourgen and asked him about how much he thought Eri was going to cost me over the years! He did some math and factored in sentimental value…and gave me that number!"

Everyone turned to look at Ryu…and only saw an already closing gym door.

Eri's eyes continued to twitch…and she gently reached over and punched her father right in the chin. "You….you…." I won't go into details about what she did then, but let's just say Rikuo will be feeling the after-effects for days.

Justus cleared his throat, "Well that's all well and good, but the fact of the matter is that Erika will be coming with me."

"No, she won't."

Everyone in the gym turned to look at the speaker. It was Ichigo, with his eyes closed. "No one will be taking her anywhere against her will. If you have something to say about that, then I'll show you hell and beyond," the half-demon opened his eyes to reveal a pair of emerald irises. "I challenge you to a duel over Erika Amero."

Justus ran his hands through his mustache. "I think, my dear boy, you misunderstand who I am. I don't take deals without having some kind of incentive. Do you have something to offer me that would be worth even wasting my time beating you?"

"I'm sure you have daughters, correct?"

Justus nodded. "So you'll risk your own future for this girl's? Very well then, I can't say no to a man who fights for his woman. Before we begin I give you my gratitude for being a gentleman." One of the soldiers behind him held out a duel disk for him. Taking it the white-suited man slid it onto his arm and inserted his deck into the slot. "Let the duel begin!"

Everyone cleared the area that was between the two of them.

Ichigo- 4000

Justus- 4000

Ichigo's eyes shimmered slightly and turned hazel. "I'll take this duel, Ahran."

Daniel and Eri both gasped at that declaration.

Justus didn't quite understand what the boy was talking about, but he didn't care. "Let the duel begin with my starting play!" He drew. "You seem like a smart boy, but it will take more than smarts to beat a professional gambler such as myself. I've been all across the world, and in the end I keep coming back to one place." Two cards slid into his disk. "I set two cards face-down on the field and one monster in defense mode. End turn."

Ichigo drew six cards off of his deck. "I'm about to show you that my skill doesn't rely on being worldly or experienced. It requires a strong heart and nerves of steel!" He slapped a card onto his disk. "Go Cyber Shadow-Assassin (1000/800) in attack mode!" A humanoid warrior in a black body-suit that covered its face appeared on the field. "Attack the set monster now!" It pulled a glowing knife from out of nowhere and flew across the field, slashing through the set card with ease.

Justus smirked and slid the card into his graveyard. "You may have destroyed my monster, but all you did was start the beginning of your end. I reveal my continuous trap card Escape from Oppression. When I lose a normal monster with three stars or less on my field because of battle I can special summon another one from my deck out." He removed a card from his deck and placed it onto his disk. "These are the Oppressed People!" (400/2000) A group of miserable-looking men and women in rags appeared on the field. "I summon them out in defense mode."

Ichigo frowned at the disheveled mass of people that stood cowering in fear at his Assassin. ("Is he trying to make me pity his monsters? Just because they look sad and hurt doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on them.") "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Justus drew. "First I play the quickplay magic card Mystical Space Typhoon on your set card." A sharp wind blew across the field and shattered whatever card Ichigo had planned to use. "Then I summon King's Spearman (1500/1000) in attack mode." A man in plain steel armor with a royal crest across the shoulder appeared on the field. It hefted its spear and watched the Assassin warily. "Now I attack your monster!"

Ichigo held up his hand. "Wait a second Justus, are you sure you want to sacrifice your own creature just to get rid of mine?"

"What are you talking about? My monster has 500 more attack points than yours does."

"No it doesn't." Ichigo caught a card that was spat out of his graveyard and inserted it into his disk. "I activate the quickplay magic card Special Operative Weapon-Quicksilver Cannon! This card can only be activated from my graveyard, and when it does I equip it to one monster on my field and raise that creature's attack points by 500." The Cyber Shadow-Assassin held up a plain-looking steel gun with casual ease, more than ready to give its life taking down the Spearman. (1500/800)

Justus nodded at the wise play on his opponent's part. "That is definitely impressive…but you still won't win with weak monsters. I end my turn for now."

Ichigo drew. "I don't have any weak monsters." His eyes widened at the drawn card and he smiled slightly. "But I do have monsters with powers that make them seem weaker than they are!" He placed the drawn card onto his disk. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh (300/200) in defense mode!"

"Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh?" Echoed most of the students and adults in the auditorium.

The creature that appeared on Ichigo's field was a normal brown-furred and green limbed little fuzzball, but it had a couple of things that made it stand out from other Kuriboh. The first was that it wore a little tuxedo that seemed tailor-fit for it, and the other was that in one hand it held a little martini glass.

Ichigo smirked and slid a card from his hand into his graveyard slot. "Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh's special ability activates now! Go Cuteness Espionage!" The little creature downed the martini glass and threw it aside. Then it pulled a little pair of helicopter rotors out of its coat pocket and stuck them on its head. A whirring noise came from the pieces of metal as they started to spin and lifted the little secret agent up into the air and over the heads of Justus' two monsters.

"What's it doing?" Eri watched the little demon make its way towards Justus himself.

Sammy and Ashley both watched its flight with little stars shining in their eyes. "It's so cute!"

Letting out a string of squeaks, the creature hovered down in front of Justus and slid the top card off of his deck. It did a little victory dance and then returned to Ichigo's field, where it handed him the card.

The half-demon smirked and flicked the card out of sight while he reached over and patted the Kuriboh's head. "Thanks for the help. When Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh uses his effect he takes the top card from your deck and gives it to me. I may immediately play that card, though I cannot conduct a battle phase this turn." Flicking his wrist, Ichigo returned the card to his hand. "And this is just what I needed. I summon King's Scout (800/1200) in attack mode!" A skinny man in light steel armor appeared on the field. "This guy's attack power isn't perfect, but it'll do for what I plan to do to you."

Justus chuckled and readjusted his hat. "I think you're forgetting that you gave up your battle phase."

Ichigo shook his head and flipped a card from his hand over. "Nope. I play the magic card Brave Attack!" A red aura started to glow around the Cyber Shadow-Assassin and the King's Scout. "This card will force all monsters on my field that are in attack mode to go after one creature on your field. Go King's Scout!" The warrior yelled out a battle cry and threw himself at the King's Spearman, only to get instantly pierced by the sharp weapon and blown apart.

"That was a waste of your monster and a waste of your life points," Justus couldn't believe his opponent made such an amateurish mistake.

"Actually, no it wasn't." Ichigo's hand lifted up and pointed at the Spearman, who seemed tired and worn out from his earlier fight. "Go Cyber Shadow-Assassin, attack now!" On his field the black-suited warrior nodded and charged. It knocked the weapon of the Spearman aside and placed the Quicksilver Cannon right into the warrior's stomach. Silently it started to pull the trigger until all that could be heard was the empty clicks of the gun. Then the scene ended as both monsters exploded into dust.

"When Brave Attack is active my monsters are all destroyed but their attack points are tallied against one monster target on the field. Because of this your Spearman just got hit with 2300 attack points," Ichigo lowered his pointing hand. "End turn."

Ichigo- 4000

Justus- 3200

Coughing to clear his throat of the smoke that had come from the gunfire, Justus drew. "It's been a long time since I've met anyone who used such strategy to fight me, and it's a refreshing change." He looked at the drawn card and closed his eyes with a satisfied smile on his face. "However, my family's livelihood depends on my victory, so you are going to have to lose." Taking the card, he slid it into his disk and then slapped a different card onto the plate. "I set one card face-down and summon United Resistance (1000/400) in attack mode!" A group of ragtag men in dirty clothing and with patchwork weapons appeared on the field. "Attack his Kuriboh now!" The whole group roared out a collective battle cry and leapt upon the furball, hacking it to pieces with their weapons. "End turn."

Ichigo's eyes went momentarily watery, but then they quickly regained clarity. "I promised not to hold back and you didn't either…so I can't complain. Draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Medic (1200/1600) in attack mode!" A man in black fatigues with red crosses all over his uniform appeared on the field. "His power is when he is summoned to return one warrior monster from my deck to my hand." Removing a card from the slot, he pointed at the United Resistance. "Go!"

"Not so fast!" Justus motioned to one of his two face-down cards, which flipped up. "Activate my continuous magic card Mediocrity Defense!" All of the members of the United Resistance ran over to the Oppressed People and joined them momentarily. "This raises the power of my monsters by their total attack points." (1400/2600) The whole group charged and ran over the field medic.

Ichigo- 3800

Justus- 3200

Ichigo's eyes widened and he slowly closed them. ("I…blew it.") "End turn."

Justus drew. "Welcome to the family, my boy. It won't be bad at all, I promise you." He slid a card from his hand into his duel disk. "I activate the magic card Premature Burial! This card costs 800 life points, but I can revive one monster from my graveyard to the field into attack mode!" A group of peasants who looked on the verge of running appeared on the field. "Go People Running About!" (600/600)

The men of the Oppressed People group lifted up their farming tools and stepped forward to join the United Resistance and People Running About. "Then I switch my Oppressed People into attack mode."

Ichigo gulped quietly. Though the damage he was about to take wasn't going to be enough to beat him, it was going to hurt.

Justus flipped up his remaining face-down card. "This duel is over. I activate the trap card Huge Revolution!"

"Huge Revolution?" Some people from the Obelisk Blue group gasped in complete surprise. They had heard Professor King talk about this strategy, but they had never seen anyone actually pull it off before.

"Huge Revolution?" Ichigo blinked as all the members of the United Resistance, People Running About, and Oppressed People all charged towards him at once.

Everyone winced collectively as Ichigo disappeared underneath the mass of people.

"Ichigo!" Eri, of all people, actually started to move forwards…only to have Daniel place his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

As the dust cloud from the charging group faded, Ichigo was revealed. He was face-first into the ground with dust marks and scratches all over him.

Ichigo- 1800

Justus- 3200

Justus didn't like doing this to a new member of his family, but it was required. "Huge Revolution can only be activated when United Resistance, Oppressed People, and People Running About are in play. All cards on your field and hand are sent to your graveyard. And I attacked your life points directly with these guys while I was at it." Inserting a card into his duel disk, Justus motioned to a card that appeared on his field. "Go A New Kingdom Established! This card prevents you from attacking as long as these guys are all on the field."

The Texan placed his hands into his pockets calmly. "Do you still think it was worth betting yourself to save Eri from a fate that's not that bad?"

Ichigo slowly climbed to his feet, snarling quietly. "My turn…draw!"

"So you still got some fight in you?" Justus shrugged. "Your loss."

"I'll fight you to my last breath! Eri is staying here and that…is…final!" Ichigo snapped the card around. "Go Pot of Greed!" Snapping two cards off of his deck, he slid two cards into his disk and slapped a card onto it. "I set one card face-down and then I summon Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer (500/2400) in defense mode!" A man appeared on the field in a crouching position, with a huge steel shield in front of him to protect himself with. "End turn!"

Justus rolled his shoulders in an innocent shrug and drew. "Keep trying then. I appreciate someone with a lot of focus to their dueling skill." Frowning at the drawn card, he placed it onto his disk. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Ichigo brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes and drew. "I flip up Polymerization!" He slapped the drawn card onto his disk. "Go Cyber Shadow-Strongarm (1900/1300) and fuse with Shield Bearer!" A towering behemoth of a warrior appeared on the field and was pulled into a vortex along with the shield-carrying warrior. What emerged was a huge man with a tower shield in one hand and a bazooka in the other. "Cyber Shadow-Big Blaster (1200/3000) in defense mode!"

"It can't attack," Justus reminded him.

"That's what you wish! Special ability activate now!" Ichigo pointed at the set monster. "Defense Breaker Blast!" The warrior moved its shield aside and lifted up the bazooka. An echoing explosion shook the building as the set monster was blown apart. "Big Blaster, when in defense mode, can destroy any defense mode monster once per turn. End turn."

Justus slid the card into his graveyard with a smirk on his face. "That was your last mistake, my boy. By destroying my Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) I can search my deck for one monster with 1500 defense points or less." He removed a card from his deck and drew for his turn. "And with these two cards I have the perfect offensive strategy to deal with you. First I'll play this magic card!" The three members of the Huge Revolution group got into position to attack again. "Go Bring Back the Revolution! This card can only work if I have A New Kingdom Established on the field. It sends that card to the field, removes my battle phase, and then activates Huge Revolution if it is in my graveyard!" The mob charged and Ichigo's monster disappeared beneath them.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as his best defense disappeared.

Justus motioned to his monsters, which all returned to him only to disappear. "Then I'll sacrifice my monsters to summon the ultimate creature!" A human in regal robes appeared on the field. "My almighty Oppressive King (1800/1500) can only be summoned by sacrificing People Running About, Oppressed People and United Resistance to summon this creature out. His effect is very controlling. Before you draw during your turn you must declare how many cards you will play that turn. If you guess it wrong then you lose. Also, if you say one or two then you lose 1000 life points per turn. So for now my turn is done."

Ichigo went silent and stared at his deck intently. "I say…"

"If you say one or two, you lose life points. If you say any more than that you lose. What more can you do then give up? It isn't like you won't get to see Erika anymore, since you and her will be related now," Justus tried to lessen the blow as much as he could.

Ichigo's eyes met the old man's for a few moments. "It isn't that…" He had yet to touch his disk. "Eri is staying here because I want her to remain here with me…"

Sammy, Ashley, Griff, Krieger, and Daniel all gasped the loudest out of the rest of the student body. The last person to say something like that had been beaten later by Eri to the point where he had to withdraw from the school. And all eyes went to look at Eri…

The demoness had her eyes closed and arms crossed. "Then prove it, instead of just standing there and getting made a fool of." Her eyes snapped open and she pointed right at Ichigo. "Pilkington, show your true power right now!"

Ichigo nodded. "I call five cards."

"Five cards?" Justus chortled and waited patiently. "Fine then."

Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck and snapped it over to show to everyone in the crowd. When he heard gasps of surprise, he smiled slightly and moved it over enough to show to Justus.

The old man had gone silent.

Then the half-demon flipped the card over and looked at it. "It's like I thought. Go Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw six cards from our deck!" He removed six cards from his deck.

Justus did the same, though he did not yet look at what he drew.

Ichigo looked at the drawn cards and without the slightest emotion in his eyes he slid a card into his disk. "This is card number two. I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Big Blaster." The burly defense warrior reappeared on the field. "Then for card number three I play the magic card Five-Star Twilight!" His monster faded away and was replaced by a single glowing star of light. "This lets me sacrifice a level five monster to summon out these guys! Go Kuriboh Siblings!" (300/200X5) The star split into five stars, which then in turn faded away to reveal five furballs. One was blue, one was pink, one was white, one was violet and the last one was brown. "Now my Kuriboh will take you down!" Each of three creatures squeaked cutely and danced around on his field.

"I don't see how your little army of critters is going to cause me even the slightest problem," Justus wasn't affected by their cuteness.

Ichigo discarded a card from his hand. "Kuribu's special ability activates now! By discarding one trap card from my hand I can lower the attack of one monster on your field by 1500! Go now, Kuriball!" The five Kuriboh started to roll towards the Oppressive King slowly at first, though they were quickly gaining speed. Then the white member of the group leapt ahead and swallowed each of his siblings in turn, growing in size until he was as big as a beach ball. Then the ball slammed right into the king's face, sending him stumbling backwards. (300/1500)

The ball bounced back over to Ichigo's field and blew apart into the five Kuriboh Siblings. "Your monster just lost what little attack points it had Justus, and now your creature falls! I use Kuriba's special ability to sacrifice my five Kuriboh!" The five furballs floated together and disappeared in a flash of light, replaced by a blue-green giant Kuriboh that had fangs and a horn. "And this summons out Kuribabylon!" (1500/1200) "Its attack and defense are equal to the attack of the monsters sacrificed to summon it. Now you're defeated…go Kuribabylon!" Letting out a Kuriboh version of a roar, the creature flew across the field to destroy the Oppressive King.

Justus fanned out his hand and snatched a card from it, tossing it into his graveyard. "Once per turn I may discard a card from my hand to negate one attack against my King!" The King lifted its hand and glowing barrier leapt up to stop the attack. When Kuribabylon slammed into it he blew apart into his original five parts, which squeaked angrily and floated back over to Ichigo's field. "Sorry my boy, but you just got denied."

Ichigo silently slid a card from his hand into his graveyard. "I activate the effect of Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh. By discarding one card from my hand while my creature is in the graveyard I can convert any monsters with Kuri in their title on my field into Cyber Shadows!" There was a flash of light as the tuxedo-wearing spy furball appeared on the field and whistled. Each of the five Kuriboh Siblings saluted to it.

Eri rolled her eyes at the six creatures. "This is ridiculous…"

"This is his strategy at the moment," Daniel said quietly.

Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh floated amongst the five Kuriboh Siblings, spouting instructions. A minute later each of the Kuriboh Siblings was asleep from listening to the lecture. Letting out an outraged squeak, the spy Kuriboh gave up and slapped a little tag on each of the now sleeping Kuriboh that said "Junior Cyber Shadow". Nodding to Ichigo, it disappeared.

Ichigo smiled slightly as the Kuriboh Siblings woke up and got back into position. "That was card four. So now I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Justus drew. "That was an awfully long turn. However, I must admit you did well with dealing with the effect of the Oppressive King. Too bad it won't help you." He fanned out his hand and motioned to his face-up Escape from Oppression trap card. "By sacrificing a continuous trap card on my field and discarding three cards, I can prevent you from drawing cards during your draw phase for the rest of the game!"

"What?" Ichigo's eyes widened as his disk beeped and locked his deck slot closed.

"That isn't all though," Justus slapped a card onto his disk. "I summon King's Guard (1400/1300) in attack mode!" A man in steel armor with a shield and sword appeared on the field. "Go kill those critters now!" He charged forwards and raised his sword to chop through one of the five Kuriboh Siblings.

"It's not that easy!" Ichigo motioned to one of the five. "Kuribi's special ability activates now! Go Star Defense!" Each of the five Kuriboh Siblings lifted their hands and created a little glowing star that was the same color as they were. Each of the stars launched out and formed one large star that caught the sword strike and blocked it. "Once per game I can use Kuribi's special ability to negate one attack."

Justus discarded a card from his hand. "And I can discard a card from my hand to make my King's Sentry attack if its first attack was negated! Go!" The warrior smacked the star aside and charged…only to hit nothing but air. "Where'd they go?"

Ichigo held up his set card. "My trap card Narrow Escape saved my Cyber Shadow Kuriboh Siblings from your attack and ended your turn." The five Kuriboh reappeared on the field. "And I get to draw one card thanks to the effect of my trap."

Justus nodded slightly. "But now you have to call how many cards you'll be using this turn. If you call one or two you will take damage, and if you call higher then you will most likely lose."

"I call five again." Ichigo ignored the murmurs of the crowd about how he was performing suicide. "I play the magic card Hand Control! This lets me call one card and if that card is in your hand it activates immediately! I call Card of Sanctity!"

Justus' eyes widened and he stared at the card in his hand like it had betrayed him. "How did you know what card I was holding?"

"Because you were sacrificing cards from your hand like it didn't matter what happened to them," Ichigo drew five cards and added them to his hand, while his opponent did the same. "That counts as my first card. Now I fuse my Kuriboh Siblings together to create Kuribabylon once more!" The five furballs flew together and turned into the monster version of the cuteness. "Then I sacrifice Kuribabylon to summon Cyber Shadow-Moonblade (2000/1700) in attack mode!" A blond-haired woman appeared on the field in place of the furry monster. She nodded to Ichigo. He nodded back and discarded a card from his hand. "Then I activate her effect! By discarding one card from my hand I can add a Polymerization magic card and one Cyber Shadow from my deck to my hand!" Removing two cards from the stack, he added them to his hand and shuffled his deck.

("He's going to try to form that monster from before…") Eri watched silently.

Ichigo slid a card from his hand into his disk. "Next I activate Polymerization and fuse Cyber Shadow-Blademaster (2000/1600) with Moonblade to create Cyber Shadow-Boss!" (3000/2200) A tall woman in futuristic armor appeared on the field. In her hands was a pair of glowing energy swords. "This monster's special ability lets it gain 200 attack points for every Cyber Shadow in my graveyard!" (5400/2200) "Go and attack his Sentry now!" The female warrior leapt forward, only to slam into a glowing barrier of light.

Justus discarded a card from his hand. "Oppressive King's power stops your attack."

Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field and then play the continuous magic card Cyber Shadow Mainframe. As long as this remains in play all Cyber Shadows gain 500 attack points!" (5900/2200) "End turn!"

Justus drew. "This is getting good. Now then, prepare yourself to lose. I play the magic card Revolutionaries Charge!" His Oppressive King and the Sentry exploded into dust. "I must sacrifice a King's monster and the King himself for this effect to work. Now I take Oppressed People, People Running About, and United Resistance into my hand. After that I can sacrifice three cards from my hand to summon those three back to the field!" The mob returned, but this time they returned with Pitchforks and Torches. "Then I can take back one trap card from my graveyard." Removing a card from his graveyard, the man inserted it into his disk. "I set two cards face-down on the field and end my turn."

Ichigo glanced at his deck and frowned. ("I can't do anything with these cards so far. I have to get rid of his monsters before they can start the Huge Revolution.") He started to point at the Oppressed People…

Justus discarded the last card in his hand and a glowing barrier appeared around his field. "I activate my trap card, which is called Energy of the Mediocre. This effect will stop all monsters with over 500 attack points from attacking this turn. However, anything that can attack gets a direct attack."

Ichigo's eyes widened and his lip started to quiver.

"I'm sorry to do that to you, my…" Justus blinked as Ichigo's lips curled slightly into a smirk.

"You just gave me the win." Ichigo motioned to his face-down card. "Go Focused Summon! This trap card lets me send two cards on my field back to my hand and then I can special summon a monster from my hand to the field with 500 extra attack points!" His Boss disappeared into his fusion deck and his Mainframe returned to his hand. "Now…for my final blow!" A smooth-plated silver robot appeared on the field in a standing position. "Cyber Shadow-Guardian (500/2200) in attack mode!"

Justus chuckled. "Do you really expect that to stop me? It can attack me directly, but it only has 500 attack points."

"Sometimes strength isn't needed for a victory…just heart and a good reason to win!" Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "I activate Cyber Shadow Mainframe, choosing to use its effect to raise the defense points of all Cyber Shadows by 1000 this time!" (500/3200)

"You understand that my set card is Huge Revolution, right?" Justus didn't understand why someone would raise the defense of a monster that was in attack mode.

Ichigo ignored him, looking over at Eri instead. "You wanted to see my best? This is it." He flipped the card in his hand over. "Go Life Risking Charge! This card works only if I have a monster on the field with 1000 or less attack points. Now I pay 1000 life points."

Ichigo- 800

Justus- 3200

Ichigo pointed at Justus. "Go Guardian, attack his life points directly!" The machine released a beam of prismatic light from its eyes that slammed into Justus' chest and sent him stumbling backwards.

Ichigo- 800

Justus- 2700

Brushing a bit of dust off of his suit, Justus tipped his hat to Ichigo. "Welcome to the family, because that was your last move."

"Yes it was," Ichigo nodded. "Life Risking Charge activates if during this turn that 1000 or less attack monster deals you life point damage. It adds the damage of that monster's defense points to the battle damage you take!"

Ichigo- 800

Justus- 0

Justus felt his heart skip a few beats. "I…lost?"

Ichigo nodded and shuffled his deck back together. "Now go away and leave Eri alone."

Regaining his composure quickly, the old man nodded slightly. "You possess potential to be the best, my boy. Enjoy your new fiancée." He removed the contract from his coat pocket and threw it to Daniel, who caught it and was already reading over the fine print.

-

A few minutes later Ichigo was surrounded by the rest of his classmates.

"That was so romantic!" Ashley ruffled Ichigo's hair. "You're like a knight in shining armor."

Smirking, Ichigo looked past the groups of students to one particular student.

The crowd parted and Eri walked up to him slowly. "You showed your true power. I'm impressed."

"Hey, I said you weren't leaving and I meant it." The half-demon gave her a thumbs-up and turned to walk off, still smirking. ("Now to walk off and make myself seem like the great gentleman…")

"Hey Ichigo!" Daniel referred to his son by his first name when in school, to avoid embarrassment on both of their parts. "You should have read the contract before accepting that duel. Or maybe you understand that Eri is now your legal fiancée?"

Ichigo stumbled and crashed face-first to the ground. "What?"

"Fiancée? Him?" Eri's eyes widened and she barely heard the excited words coming out of the mouths of all the nearby girls.

Ichigo came to his to receive reassuring pats and the occasional congratulations. ("…Oh Luna, why me?")

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: Hello and welcome to the newest exciting arc of LDD. I hope you enjoyed the first episode and plan on continuing to read my further chapters. For all of my devote readers, I thank you once again for your help and criticism. For all new readers, enjoy and e-mail me if you have any questions about the storyline.

BTW, the gold and silver-eyed dude at the end of my first arc was not Dartz. Just thought I'd get that off my chest.


	2. Pass Interference

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 2: Pass Interference

"We're here with ace football star CJ Anderson," the reporter spoke into her microphone, her eyes focused on the camera.

Across from her was a titan of a man who dwarfed the armchair he sat in. The black business suit he wearing didn't make him seem any less intimidating, nor did the fact that he looked like he could break steel with his bare hands. His dark eyes watched her calmly, and with a relaxation in them that wasn't portrayed by his body.

After finishing her introduction into the camera, the reporter turned to look at her subject. "Mr .Anderson, your entrance into the NFL has caused a huge uproar. Ever since your premiere three years ago on national television coaches for the teams you play against have actually constructed entire playbooks based around methods of stopping your rushes, which have been described as superhuman." On a screen that was set up between the two of them a picture appeared, showing a packed football stadium. Down on the field there was a dog-pile of men all seeming to hang off of CJ like extra clothing. The still image picked and showed him plowing through more than half of the opposing team on his own.

CJ flushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yeah…I guess I did overdo it huh?"

"Overdo it?" The reported echoed incredulously. "From what I've heard, that display has every team in this country bidding for you. Right now, at least from what our reports say, you currently are not affiliated with any team?"

"I'm kind of drifting right now," CJ answered curtly, preferring not to explain that he was having a big of a moral dilemma involving this whole situation. Because he was a horse demon, he possessed strength that was something like that of the Hulk's. If he had wanted to he could have taken the highest-paying job and lived like a king for the rest of his life. ("But is it really fair to the opposing team? And is it fair to the fans of the game?")

-

"This guy's one of the demon lords?" A shadowed form with a rocky voice shifted slightly in his perch and looked down from the rafters of the studio at CJ's head. "He certainly doesn't act it."

"Don't be fooled," A voice on the other end of the radio-line said, "He is by far more powerful than you could know."

"I highly doubt that," A British-accented voice chimed in through the receiver. "Though I must admit I'm curious to see the truth. The boss said we can go after this one first, right?"

"No," the rocky-voiced man muttered quietly, "We are to capture his assistant, and use him as bait. A direct assault may result in violence, and the master said we are not to kill this one."

"That's so bloody boring though." Silence held over the line for a few seconds and then the British voice chimed in again. "At least let me get him."

"I don't give a damn who gets him, just get him now."

-

Right outside the studio there was a black Lexus parked in the close to empty lot.

And standing there, with his back against the driver's side door of the car, was a man in a black driver's suit. Off on top of the hood of the car was the accompanying hat. He had very short brown hair and was definitely considered fairly tall. He wore wire-frame glasses and at the moment looked extremely bored.

("When will CJ be done with these stupid interviews?") Jared sighed and felt around in his pocket. "It's been the fifth one today." Removing the item, he revealed a Duel Monsters deck. He and CJ had been close friends for years, and when his best friend had gotten into the game he'd quickly wanted to learn too. Though the mechanics of the game were hard for him to pick up on, it didn't take too long for him to get the hang of it. ("Of course now…getting rarer and more powerful cards seems impossible to do. How did CJ ever assemble his deck in the first place?")

Jared had been with CJ during the worldwide tournament that shook the planet with its last couple of duels. During that time Jared had watched his best friend defeat countless opponents with his strategy, up until the top eight where CJ had gone against a guy named Daniel Pilkington. ("That was one of the most intense duels I had ever seen in my life. If that had been me, I'd have broken down from the pressure.") In the end, CJ had lost by the slightest advantage his opponent had. Yet even though he had lost, CJ didn't seem all that mad about it. ("How did he keep his calm like that?")

Things like this troubled Jared often, because while CJ had football to fall back on, Jared's skills weren't exactly naturally inclined towards anything. Duel Monsters had been something of an escape for him, but after finally getting his duel disk he had been having problems with the solid vision system. All of those holograms were so realistic that he'd lose his concentration if something flashy or horrifying happened. ("I guess I can just chalk each loss up to inexperience.")

"Excuse me, is this CJ Anderson's car?" A crisp British voice said from behind Jared.

He looked over his shoulder to see a man in a black trench-coat standing across the vehicle from him. A pre-programmed response he kept on reflex immediately left his mouth, "I'm sorry, this isn't CJ Anderson's car."

"What a pity…" The man smirked slightly and walked around the vehicle. He started to walk away, until her reached about twenty feet of distance from Jared. "You're Jared….I have your picture to go off of." As the man turned to face Jared, he lifted his arm to reveal a black device strapped to his arm that hadn't been there before. "Though I commend you on your attempt at trickery, I'm afraid your soul is mine now."

Jared felt everything hair on the back of his neck shoot straight out. CJ had, every once in a while, a crazy person show up and challenge him to a duel. These people differed greatly, but all of them seemed ridiculously out of their minds. Some of them would chatter to CJ about 'demons' and such, while others were dressed up in make-up that put Hollywood's special effects department to shame. "What did you say?"

The device on the man's arm beeped and a metal flap opened on it. From this flap emerged a spine-like piece of telescoping metal that turned into a duel disk playing field. "I said that I'm going first." He tapped a button on the device and a slot opened on it to reveal a deck already in place. Drawing six cards off of the top, the man took one of them and inserted it into a slot on the top of the device. "And I'll start my turn with this magic card! Go Chaos Dimension!" Everything around them started to blur and warp.

Jared glanced around nervously. What he had felt before that had made him nervous now just made him afraid. "What…are you talking about? I don't even have a duel disk, much less any reason to duel you right now! I'm on the job!"

Throwing his black hat away, the man revealed a head-full of slicked-back blond hair. "That's a bloody shame, but you don't have a choice in the matter. Once two duelists enter the Chaos Dimension, there is no leaving until the duel ends. Oh yes, and let me show you this." Opening his hand, the man revealed a prismatic die that he dropped onto the ground. "Let's see what the Chaos Dimension grants us now." The die stopped with a two facing upwards. "Good, that bonus will do nicely."

"Are you even listening to me?" Jared felt his heart beating faster now.

"I heard you loud and clear, now get your deck ready because Chaos waits for no man," the man's eyes, which had been blue before, now shimmered a whole rainbow of different colors.

"I don't have a duel disk!" Jared waved his arm to emphasize this, but when he heard something click into place near him he looked down and saw an old-fashioned duel disk on his arm. "What the heck?" His deck was already in its place on the device.

"Like I said, draw your five cards so we can begin!" The man's accent made it seem like an order more than a demand.

Jared grimaced and slid five cards off of his deck. He had a feeling that if he didn't fight in this duel he was screwed.

Smirking, the man drew a card from his deck. "By rolling a two on the Chaos Dimension effect I now draw two cards at the start of each turn instead of one." He threw a card onto his disk. "And with that I begin my turn with Element Soldier!" (1500/1200) A tall humanoid in bronze armor appeared on the field. "Then I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn." A card appeared behind the soldier, who was now holding a long spear that shimmered with prismatic light.

Jared felt a couple of beads of sweat slide down the sides of his head. ("Oh man…this guy didn't even need to form a strategy with his hand. He knew exactly what to play. He's definitely a professional.") He drew shakily, trying to remember what CJ had taught him about keeping his cool. After looking at drawn card, he slid it in amongst his other cards and looked at them. ("I have two monsters capable of beating his Soldier…but what if his face-down card is a trap?")

"What's the hold-up?" The man's left eyebrow lifted slightly and he smirked crazily. "Need a breather?"

Jared knew that the time for action was now. "I summon Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode!" A towering warrior with a wicked sword in one hand and a mouthful of sharp teeth appeared on the field. "Attack his Element Soldier now!" Roaring, the beast-warrior started its charge…

And then stumbled backwards as a wave of sound slammed into it. The man shook his head slightly and held up his trap card. "Bark of the Dark Ruler allows me to pay life points in increments of 100 to reduce the attack of one of your monsters by that same amount until the end of the turn." Inserting the card into his graveyard, his voice turned stern. "Pay for your mistake with your monster and life points!"

Blood Vorse (1400/1200)

Jared- 4000

Man- 3500

The Element Soldier leapt forward and pierced its weapon right through Jared's monster, blowing it apart and spraying Jared with the pieces of dust that his creature had turned into.

Jared- 3900

Man- 3500

Jared felt panic well up in his chest. ("This is…") He killed that train of thought, and on reflex grabbed the two traps in his hand and slid them into the disk. "I set these down. End turn."

The man drew two cards off of his deck and snickered. "So far I'm not impressed. And since things are about to get a lot harder for you, then you had better turn up your performance soon. If you don't…" He opened the slot that he had placed the Chaos Dimension card into and inserted another card. "I play Pandemonium-The Lair of Ten Thousand Demon Lords!" All around them the blurred landscape warped into a hellish parody of itself. "And when you play a field magic card in combination with Chaos Dimension, they create something completely new! Welcome to Chaos Pandemonium!"

Jared shuddered at the sudden moans of pain that echoed all around him. He had heard of Pandemonium and its evil residents from CJ.

The man smirked and slapped a card onto his disk. "Come out now my mighty Shadowknight Archfiend!" (2000/1600) A hideous demonic parody of a knight appeared on the field. "And thanks to Chaos Pandemonium, my monster gains a fifty percent attack power boost!" (3000/1600)

Jared's eyes widened slightly, and then he remembered what cards he had face-down. "I activate my face-down trap card Dust Tornado!" The card flipped up and a heavy wind exploded from the face. "This effect destroys one of your magic or trap cards, so I'll eliminate your Chaos Pandemonium!" The wind-funnel snapped around and slammed into Jared's other set card, blowing it apart. "What?"

The man waved a finger in the air chidingly. "By trying to destroy the Chaos Dimension, you triggered its effect. Instead of it being destroyed it eliminated a random card on your field instead."

Jared threw up his arms as the Shadowknight leapt forward and slammed its sword into him. Before he could regain his balance from the force of the holographic blow, he felt the spear of the Element Soldier crash into his ribcage and push him back into the car.

The man snickered at the pain across Jared's face. "Luckily for you my Shadowknight does only half its attack in battle damage, so for now you survive this duel. End turn."

Jared- 500

Man- 3500

Jared had his back indented into the car slightly, and pain wracked him from head to toe.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" The man's accent made everything he said sound like an insult. "Welcome to life. In this world suffering is what makes every go round. Without it we cannot aspire to greatness, but instead would spend our life in mediocrity. Now draw your card and fight!"

Jared coughed up a couple of drops of blood. He couldn't believe that he was going to lose so fast. ("Isn't there something I can do to stop him?") Then his mind flashed back to something CJ had offered him when he had gotten his first starter deck. ("I do have a monster with more than enough power to take this guy down. But to get it I'm going to need a bit of whatever CJ calls on to get what he needs.") "Luck, give me your blessing." He drew, ignoring the drops of blood on his lip. Flipping the card over, he quickly squashed his rising joy. ("This battle isn't over yet.") "I play Pot of Greed!" Sliding two cards off of his deck, he looked at both of them and then up at the man. "I play Polymerization."

"A fusion?" Still snickering, the man tilted back his head slightly. "So you plan of eliminating my Element Soldier?"

"No, I 'plan' on eliminating your Shadowknight." Jared took two cards from his hand and held them up. "By fusing these creatures together…" A towering blue-furred creature and a much smaller green-furred monster appeared on the field. "Des Kangaroo (1500/1700) and Big Koala (2700/2000) now fuse together to creature my ultimate fusion!" The two creatures were sucked into a vortex of energy. What emerged was a huge green-furred mixture of kangaroo and koala wearing boxing gloves. "Master of Oz (4200/3700) in attack mode!"

"4200 attack points?" The man wasn't snickering now.

Jared slapped a card onto his disk. "And I summon Enraged Battle Ox (1700/1000) in attack mode as well!" A Minotaur holding onto a huge battle ax appeared on the field and roared in anger. "Go!"

The Shadowknight Archfiend screeched in anger right before a fist the size of its body squashed it into the pavement. A few seconds behind it was the Element Soldier as it was cut in half.

Jared- 500

Man- 2100

Jared looked at the last card in his hand and slid it into his disk. "I set this face-down and end my turn."

The man, who was know on his knees thanks to the sheer overwhelming force from the Master of Oz, slowly came to his feet with laughter rolling out of his lips. "Very good! That was what I wanted to see!" His smile turned back into a snicker. "However, you just activated the effect of Chaos Pandemonium. When an Archfiend monster on my field is destroyed, I may search my deck for another Archfiend of any level." Finding the card he wanted, he inserted it into his hand and drew twice. "Now then…I play Monster Reborn." There was a flash of light as the Element Soldier shimmered into existence on his field. "Then I sacrifice my monster to summon out the creature I searched for! Go Skull Archfiend of Lightning (2500/1200) in attack mode!" An explosion of lightning bolts slammed into the earth and the monster that emerged was a demon made up of muscle tissue and bone. "And since he is an Archfiend, his attack goes up by fifty percent!" (3750/1200)

Jared looked over at the Master of Oz, which grunted and pounded its boxing gloves together to signify it was ready to scrap with that demon.

The man laughed melodiously and pointed at the Enraged Battle Ox. "One thing that you have forgotten…you have only 500 life points left! Go Archfiend, Lightning Strike!" Electricity arched along the demon's body and then exploded towards the Minotaur as a wave.

Jared waved his hand across his field and his set card flipped up. "I activate Waboku!" A glowing barrier of pale light sprang up and blocked the wave, dissipating it instantly. "This trap card brings all battle damage from your monsters this turn to zero!"

The man grimaced and slid two cards into his disk. "I set these cards face-down and end my turn."

Jared drew, feeling his heart beat rapidly in his chest. ("Please tell me I have the strength to win…") After looking at the card he placed it face-down onto his disk. "I set one monster into defense mode. Then I switch Enraged Battle Ox into defense mode." Snorting in protest, the monster fell to one knee. "End turn."

The man drew twice. "Interesting…you learned that attacking recklessly is unwise. Indeed, both of my set cards are traps…" He snapped his fingers and one of the two cards flipped up. "Unfortunately, some traps don't need to have the opponent attack to be activated." A huge bone mask appeared on the field and launched over to attach itself to the chest of the Master of Oz. "Mask of Weakness weakens your creature by 700 attack points." (3500/3700)

Jared's eyes widened as his strongest monster lost attack points. "No…you can't…"

"I'm right about to." The man slapped a card onto his disk and another Shadowknight Archfiend appeared on the field next to the Skull Archfiend of Lightning. "My two monsters…crush the set monster and the Master of Oz beneath your might!" A wave of electricity and a swing of a sword later Jared stood with only his Battle Ox defending him.

Jared held up the monster he had set face-down. "You just flipped up Des Koala (1100/1800) and when you do that it deals you 400 life points of damage for every card in your hand."

Jared- 250

Man- 500

The man shrugged it off and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn. What can you do with a too-weak monster on your field and no cards in hand?"

Jared drew. "I can play Graceful Charity…which lets me draw three cards and then discard two." He slid three cards off of his deck and after looking at all of them he felt a tingle of success run through him. ("This…might work.") "Instead of discarding two cards, I can instead discard Lucky Cat (500/300) to negate one discard effect." Inserting the card into his graveyard, he flipped another card over at the same time. "Monster Reborn to return an old friend. Master of Oz comes back for round two!" The towering green-furred monster appeared on the field and charged with its fists raised to punch down the Skull Archfiend of Lightning. "You're done."

"Not quite!" The man motioned to his Shadowknight Archfiend, which shuddered and exploded into dust. "I activate my set Altar for Tribute card, which lets me gain life points equal to the attack points of one monster I sacrifice!"

The Skull Archfiend of Lightning roared in anger right before it got its literal block knocked off.

Jared- 250

Man- 3050

The man removed his deck from its slot and took out a card which he added to his hand. "Because you destroyed my Archfiend, I can search my deck for another one." Then he drew twice. "Let's see if I get wipe that eyesore off the field again, shall we?" After looking at the two cards he inserted one into his disk and placed the other face-up onto it. "I sacrifice three demons in my graveyard to special summon Dark Necrofear (2200/2800) in defense mode." Then he placed a card face-down next to the blue vampire that appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Also, I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Jared drew. ("I can't risk attacking with Enraged Battle Ox. But then again…") He lifted his hand and pointed at the set monster. "Go…Master of Oz. Finish him off now!"

"How can you finish me off by killing a defense mode monster?" The man started to snicker…until he realized something. "Your Battle Ox…"

"…gives all my monsters the power of trampling. That means my Master of Oz can deal damage through defenses. Take this!" Bellowing, the huge beast slammed its fist onto the set card and instantly shattered it.

The man's snicker did rise and one of his face-down cards flipped up. "Activate Spirit Barrier! As long as I have a monster in play all battle damage to me is zero!" He held up the card. "And this is my Terrorking Archfiend (2000/1500) who triggers Chaos Pandemonium's effect." He removed a card from his deck and discarded it. "Then I throw out the Desrook Archfiend (1100/1800) I searched for to use its effect. When I discard it during the turn that I lost the Terrorking, I can bring my mighty king back." A wisp of smoke rose up from the ground and formed into a demon made of bone and muscle with a crown on its head. "And don't forget that thanks to Chaos Pandemonium my monster gets an upgrade!" (3000/1500)

Jared winced at his mistake, but didn't let it slow him down. "I summon Spell Shield Camel (0/2500) in defense mode and end my turn." A camel covered in steel armor appeared on his field.

The man drew twice. "I switch Dark Necrofear into attack mode!" The blue-skinned vampire stood up. "Attack Master of Oz now!" It opened its eyes wide and released a pair of red lasers from them that hit the beast and fizzled against its fur.

The Master of Oz brushed itself off and then brought a body-sized fist down onto the vampire, instantly destroying it.

Without skipping a beat the man pointed at the Enraged Battle Ox. "Terrorking Archfiend attack now! Bone Fist of Destruction!" Roaring, the king launched forwards and punched a hole into the chest of Minotaur. It looked at the squirming thing on its arm and snickered as the Enraged Battle Ox exploded into dust. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn." A black wave of energy exploded from his graveyard. "Dark Necrofear was destroyed by your monster…and therefore it gets its revenge with its special ability! Go Curse of Control! When Dark Necrofear is sent to the graveyard because of an enemy's attack or effect, she uses her power at the end phase of that turn to take control of one enemy monster."

Jared watched the black tendrils of energy shimmer slightly and then they dissipated into nothingness. "Too bad there are no legal targets on my field."

The man frowned and looked at the Spell-Shield Camel. "It makes all beasts on your field immune to target magic effects…doesn't it?"

"You catch on quickly," Jared drew. "But not quick enough." He flipped the drawn card over. "Go Mystical Space Typhoon! This will destroy your Spirit Barrier and leave you wide open to my Master of Oz's attack!" A sharp wind shattered the trap card. "Go Master of Oz!"

The man flipped up his face-up card. "Go Curse of Aging! This trap card requires that I sacrifice a card from my hand to reduce the attack strength of all of your monsters by 500 points!" Throwing up his hands, he braced himself against the backlash as his mighty king was shattered by the beast's fist.

Jared- 250

Man- 2350

As the smoke from the explosion caused by the punch cleared, the man brushed off his trench-coat and caught a card his deck spat out to him. "Chaos Pandemonium's special power activates. Then I discard a Desrook to return Terrorking Archfiend to the field." The dissipating pulled into a mass that formed into the king again.

Jared gritted his teeth…until he realized that he still the advantage. "Next turn my Master of Oz will pound through your monster and bring your life points to zero. End turn."

The man drew twice. "We'll see about that, you pretentious little twit. I play the continuous magic card Convulsion of Nature and Archfiend's Oath!" The two named cards shimmered onto the field.

"What do those do?" Jared had never heard of those cards.

The man pulled his deck out of its slot and inserted it back in upside-down. "Convulsion of Nature forces us both to flip our decks over. And my Archfiend's Oath card lets me pay 500 life points to call one card name and draw the top card of my deck. If I call it right then that card goes into my hand, and if not it is discarded."

Jared's eyes widened. ("Oh no…")

Looking down at his deck, the man cleared his throat, "My top card is Mask of the Accursed." Pulling the top card away, he held it up to show to Jared. "Chaos Pandemonium says that all Archfiend named cards don't require that I pay life points for their effects. So this Mask of the Accursed comes to me with no price attached." The Terrorking Archfiend roared and leapt across the field to shatter the Spell Shield Camel with one punch. "Go Mask of the Accursed! This equipment magic card attaches to your creature." A strange-looking mask appeared on the Master of Oz's chest. "As long as this card is attached your monster cannot attack or switch modes. Also, every one of my standby phases you will take 500 life points of damage. Then I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Jared drew, already knowing what card it was. ("I have one turn to come up with an answer to this problem.") "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

The man drew. "Mask of the Accursed now finishes this!"

"Wrong!" Jared's face-down card flipped up. "Go Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment! This trap card protects my life points from all effect damage this turn!" A glowing circle of light sprang up around Jared.

The man spat onto the pavement. "Lucky little bastard. I flip up my face-down Time Seal! This trap card will force you to skip your next draw phase. So therefore, unless the card in your hand can get rid of my Mask of the Accursed then you have just lost. Then I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Jared just stood there, drops of sweat pouring down his face. ("I…lost…")

The man laughed and stretched his arms. "That was a nice little work-out, but now it's time to hand over your soul."

"No…there has to…" Jared's eyes widened and he smirked slightly. "I play the magic card Silent Rebirth."

The man chuckled and shrugged helplessly. "I guess you want to revive a normal monster? What monster is worth reviving from the graveyard?"

"Spell Shield Camel…" Jared removed the card from his graveyard and placed it onto his disk.

"That's an effect monster, foolish boy," The man snickered. "You've lost and just won't accept it."

"Spell Shield Camel's special ability is that it is treated as an effect monster." Jared watched as the steel-covered camel appeared on the field. "And because my monster is back, all targeting effects on beast monsters are destroyed!" The Mask of the Accursed shattered into dust.

The man's laughter was choked back down just in time to watch the revitalized Master of Oz destroy his Terrorking again.

Jared- 250

Man- 1150

Jared smiled slightly. "End turn. I'm not going to give up."

Snarling, the man removed an Archfiend card from his deck and discarded another Desrook, his Terrorking reappearing on the field. Then he drew twice. "Now I'm irritated! First I flip up my face-down trap card! Go Archfiend's Roar! This trap card costs me 500 life points, but with it I can return an Archfiend from my graveyard to the field until the end of this turn, when it will be destroyed!" He removed a card from his graveyard and threw it onto his disk. "Awaken, my mighty Skull Archfiend of Lightning!"

Jared- 250

Man- 650

"And that's not all. Lightning Strike!" The Skull Archfiend roared and released a wave of lightning that blew the Spell Shield Camel apart. "Next up is the magic card Puppet Magic of the Dark Ruler! This magic card lets me remove monsters from my field equal to a certain number of level stars. So I'll remove my face-up Skull Archfiend of Lightning and my face-down Vilepawn Archfiend (1200/800) from the game to special summon a level eight monster!" He grabbed a card from his graveyard and threw it onto his disk. "Return to me Dark Necrofear in defense mode!" The blue vampire reappeared on the field in a crouching position. "Then I switch Terrorking Archfiend into defense mode and end my turn. Without your Spell Shield Camel you cannot risk attacking my Dark Necrofear, so just give up. I'll get a powerful monster soon enough that will crush your creature."

Jared looked at his next draw…and smiled slightly. "I draw…go Master of Oz!" The beast brought its fist down and shattered the Dark Necrofear.

Chuckling, the man waited for the end of his opponent's turn. "You've just lost."

Jared shook his head slightly and flipped the card he had drawn over. "Go De-fusion!" There was a flash of light and the Master of Oz turned back into the Des Kangaroo and Big Koala. "Go Big Koala, destroy the Terrorking now!" The huge blue marsupial roared and landed on the king with a mighty body-slam. "Then Des Kangaroo, attack his life points directly!"

The man's eyes widened just in time to catch a boxing glove right in the face.

Jared- 250

Man- 0

All around them the distorted dimension started to groan. Jared was panting from the sheer intensity of those last few moments.

Grimacing, the man discarded a card from his hand and slid a card into his disk. "Activate Barrier of Chaos. This continuous magic card prevents me from losing my soul because of the Chaos Dimension, and it also can be played at any time." A glowing barrier of calm blue light appeared around him in time to stop the rainbow spectrum of colors from engulfing him.

After a few moments of futile straining, the dimension broke down and left them standing in the parking lot again.

The man picked up his hat and brushed it off, placing it back on top of his head. "Another day, my dear boy." He turned just in time to get punched right in the chin with enough to shatter a tank.

Jared leapt out of the way as his mysterious assailant went flying into the brick wall behind him and through it.

CJ pulled out a handkerchief and rubbed some blood off of his knuckles. "That's what you get, jerk. Are you alright Jared?"

Jared slowly came to his feet and nodded. "Who was that guy?"

Suddenly aware that they were in the open, CJ glanced around nervously. "I don't know. However, I do know who would know. It's time to go contact an old friend."

-

"You idiot, Basil." Another black-coated form stood in front of the blond-haired man from before. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Gritting his teeth and rubbing a cotton-ball with disinfectant on it across his slightly swollen eye, the British man used his other eye to give a glare at his compatriot. "It wasn't my fault and you know it. Stupid topdecking bastard…"

"It doesn't matter, because now we have their attention," the third member of the group with his one gold eye and one silver eye crossed his arms. "Now then, let us get to work on our next target."

The other two nodded and they got on their way. Mistakes or not, they were the Chaos Riders and they would stay brothers to the end.

_To be continued…_

To within/without: I'm not sure that I will be able to use this character. IF I can though, I will.

To Adriel: You just met one of Chaos.

To Seeker of the Soul: I'm glad you liked it. And Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh has fans! WHOOO!

To Darkstar: Glad I could make you chuckle.

To Whitewolf: Romance? Errr….read the next chapter before using words like Romance.

To cyberzone: This is Legends of the Demon Duelist.

To Bobbomp: Another fan of the mighty Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh!

To Anime Albino: Kuriboh are the best! Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh: Squeaks and does his victory dance

To Grizzly under there: Eh…he might.

To Hogwarts-Knight: Justus really wasn't an enemy duelist.

To Chaos Anubis: OO; Strawberry? Cyber Shadow Kuriboh: OO

To Sinister: Thanks for the vote of confidence.

To john: You aren't allowed to use Kenshin-speak. Do so again and I will take legal action against you.

To Rex the emerald Dragon: Thanks.

To Kitsune Duelist: Didn't I finish last chapter by saying it wasn't Dartz with the gold and silver eyes?


	3. Walkuran Ritt

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 3: Walkuran Ritt

A scream echoed across the night…

Ashley- 0

Ashley stumbled backwards, clutching her arms and staring in horror as her last monster was blown apart. "No…I lost?"

"Unfortunately that you did, my dear." A cultured German accent echoed from across the small field that the two of them were standing in. "And as such…your Penalty Game!"

Another scream echoed across the island of Duelist's Academy.

-

The next morning was rather quiet across the island, until…

From within a huge mass of blankets a single brown ear flicks at the sound of someone knocking on a door. The mass shuffled aside enough to reveal a single hazel eye that went over to look at a clock on a desk. ("It's four o'clock in the morning…") Groaning, Ichigo slid out of bed and like a mummy started to shamble over towards the door. It didn't help that he was still covered in head to toe with blankets.

A couple of minutes later he was nearly there, but still had that last difficult few feet to go. ("Must…not…fall…asleep…") He had nearly made it when a fist punched a hole in the wood of the door. "….Huh?"

The hand reached down, unlocked the door, and then Rikuo Amero stepped into the room with fires burning in his eyes. "Hello there, son-in-law." To avoid any arguments over that fact he held up the contract that stated it was truth.

Ichigo was awake instantly. "…………………….." Some of the blankets fell off of his frame and collapsed to the ground, making him feel a lot more exposed.

Rikuo cracked his knuckles loudly. "Let's have a man to man talk, shall we?" Then he started his advance.

-

Griff sighed from inside the bathroom and stared at his…tail…as it flicked back and forth. ("I…have a tail….")

_("So you do. I'd suggest you stop acting like how you have been when you think about this 'predicament'. You and I are together like Ahran and Ichigo are together. While I don't like it, I must tolerate it for that is the way life works.")_

Griff paled and brushed a few locks of his much wilder black hair out of his eyes. ("Terra? You're still around?")

_("I will be around until someone removes my soul from yours. Do not bother trying to remove me through force, or I will kill your soul on my way out. Am I making myself perfectly clear?")_

Griff gulped and nodded. ("Crystal clear…")

-

Ichigo grumbled something uncomplimentary about his evil new 'father-in-law' while applying some anti-septic to his now black eye. "He came all this way so early in the morning just for the opportunity to beat the living crap out of me?"

_("You have to understand something about my father, Ichigo. He is a very jealous and protective type of person. And where Eri is concerned, he probably wishes that she'd never feel the touch of a man other than him. She's his princess, after all.")_

("It isn't like I'm going to do anything to or with her! I didn't even know about this stupid fiancée thing until it was too late to change it!")

Another knock at the door brought him out of his conversation with Ahran. "Who is it?"

"Pilkington, open this door before I add to the hole my father made."

Sighing, the half-demon slid out of his chair and walked over to open the door. "Hello there, my dear Eri. What can this lowly dog do for his queen?" His words dripped sarcasm.

"Shut up and listen to me," she walked past him and sat down in his chair. "Last night…Ashley was found in a coma."

"Ashley?" Ichigo blinked in surprise. "Why come to me about it?"

"Because she was not the first," The demoness turned in his chair to look out the window. "Ebony was also found just a little earlier that night in a similar condition. Someone on the island is apparently attacking the girls of the academy. The Headmaster has just contacted father and told him about this. Though he said that he would find the culprit, I'm not so sure it is that easy. This enemy only targets females, apparently, and possesses enough power to escape detection. We need female duelists of excellent caliber to catch this criminal…"

Ichigo flushed bright red and crossed his arms. "No way in hell! I'm not going to help your crazy scheme!"

Eri narrowed her eyes and snapped her hand out to grab Ichigo's jacket. "Listen here Pilkington! My friends are having their souls stolen and you're going to help me catch whoever is doing it! If you don't then I swear I'll kill you and they'll never find the body, because I'll eat it!"

Ichigo stood there, dumbfounded. "…………………..So……….what do I need to do?"

-

Later that evening Ichigo sighed and looked down at her uniform, which fit just as loosely as it did every night. ("Why won't this stupid curse go away?")

_("I wish I could do something about it as well, because this is something that I find it constantly difficult to get used to.")_ Even though he couldn't see his other half, Ichigo knew that Ahran was blushing.

("Don't worry about it, this shouldn't take too long. After all, Sammy is checking one part of the island, and Eri is checking another. Before long this guy will run into one of us and get destroyed.")

-

Sammy stumbled backwards as an explosion of light tore across her field, blowing her last remaining monster away and wiping out what remained of her life points. "Eri…"

A few moments later her scream reached two pairs of very sensitive demon ears.

-

Eri and Ichigo both reached the location the scream had come from at the same time. And at the same time they both saw a single shadowed form rush away from the small clearing that the duel had been in and off into the forest.

Eri's first thought was to kill the man, and as such he actually leapt over Sammy's fallen body and charged into the brush.

Ichigo slid to a halt and started checking Sammy's vital signs. ("She's alive…but something about the way she is breathing.")

_("There is no will left to live in this one. Her soul has been removed from this shell.")_ Ahran said each word with a deep distaste.

Ichigo frowned and knew that if this guy wasn't stopped, then more people would wind up like this. ("I'm going to teach this guy one hell of a lesson.")

-

Eri slid to a stop as he felt the scent of whoever he was pursuing dissipate into the air around him. ("Could I have actually lost my prey? That's not possible. Whoever they are, they couldn't have run too far.")

Then he sensed it more than felt it. It felt something similar to a distortion in the air. "I can feel you near me. Who are you and what did you do to Sammy?"

"Sammy? Oh, I assume you mean the brown-haired one that I just defeated," the voice was vaguely European and very haughty. "Was she yours?"

"Answer me!" Eri bared his claws.

From within the shadows of this particular clearing, the male voice chuckled and the sound of a duel disk activating echoed across the field. "Prepare to fight me for the right of knowledge."

Eri already had his disk in place. "I will crush you and steal your soul away. Prepare to die."

"We shall see…" The owner of the voice drew and opened the field magic card slot on his disk. "We shall see…"

-

_("Ichigo, do you even have any idea where you are going?")_ Ahran's voice sounded exasperated.

("Honestly, I'm not so sure anymore. This place is a real confusing area. All the smells around here just kind of lump together.") The half-demon looked left and then right, unsure of where Eri had run off to.

-

"Death Cregit Mage attacks now…"

"Not so fast, you triggered my trap!"

-

("Maybe she went this way?") Ichigo charged down another trail, only to run face-first into a tree. ("Or…possibly not.")

Then she heard it. A small explosion not too far away. ("Over there?") Charging full speed, she leapt over and through any obstacles to get to the area straightaway.

When she finally reached the area she broke through the brush and stumbled into another clearing.

"You played well…but now it's time to pay the metaphorical piper."

Ichigo's blood ran cold upon hearing that. "No…"

Eri stumbled, smoke wafting off of his in certain points where he had sustained hits during the duel. ("But….how…") He started to fall…

Only to be caught by a pair of slender yet strong arms. "Eri…please don't go…" Ichigo stared numbly at the pair of crimson-gold eyes that were slowly losing their spark of life.

"Pilkington…don't……..fail……" Eri smiled slightly, and then went silent. His eyes reflected emptiness, and nothing more.

"Such a shame, for the boy had such potential." The man, who was still obscured by shadow, re-shuffled his deck and looked at Ichigo. "You're the last one I need, little girl. So come forward and prepare yourself to battle."

Ichigo didn't respond, instead opting to continue to look at the face of the now soulless Eri.

"Didn't you hear me? Stand up and fight." The man's tone took on a much graver disposition.

Ichigo tilted her head back and howled up into the night, sorrow radiating from the cry.

-On the other side of the island, Rikuo Amero's eyes opened wide at the noise…and then he drew his sword. "My old friend….let's go kill the bastard who dared to harm my princess!"

-

The man stepped into the moonlight to reveal a cyan-colored business suit and a head-full of similar colored hair. "You must be Ichigo Pilkington…the girl with the soul of a boy. With your defeat I will have the last piece of my quest completed." His disk beeped and snapped into place. "I can't wait."

Ichigo slowly stood up, holding a single card in her hands. "Why…why?"

"Because it is what must be done. Those who lost to me have sacrificed themselves for the greater cause of my success." The man brushed some dirt off of his shirt. "Just one more soul and my true power will be achieved. I will be the world champion of Duel Monsters."

Ichigo wasn't listening anymore. Her irises had contracted to pinpoints. "Unforgivable…I cannot…I will not…allow you to get away with this!" An explosion of moonlight tore all around her, and blinded the man. When he looked again what he saw could only be described as impressive.

A now male Ichigo stood across the field, his eyes boring holes through the eyes of his opponent. On his back were white feathered wings that stretched out and then folded against his back. "I will not let you escape! Prepare to die!" He shoved the card he had been holding into his deck, shuffled, and then drew five cards.

The man drew five as well. "I am Octavian…and your soul is mine."

Ichigo- 4000

Octavian- 4000

Ichigo drew, unconcerned by the wings that remained on his back. "You will pay…I swear it! Go Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer (0/2400) in defense mode!" A humanoid warrior in a black body-suit appeared on the field with a large riot shield in front of him. "Then I set two cards face-down on the field and end my turn!"

Octavian drew. "Your skill is already apparent to me…but it will not be enough to win this battle. Observe as I crush you in this turn with my perfect strategy." He opened his field magic card slot and slid a card in. "First though, the power of the Chaos Dimension!" Everything around them blurred and warped. "In this place, I roll a single die and depending on the number a different effect will be determined." Opening his hand, he revealed a single white die. Overturning his hand, he dropped the item to the ground. It bounced around crazily until it stopped on a one. "That was perfect, as always. Now all monsters on my field will get a 700 attack point bonus."

Ichigo stood unflinching, the wings on his back flapping occasionally.

Octavian laughed quietly and slid a card into his disk. "Go Ride of the Valkyries! Now I special summon all Valkyrie monsters in my hand to the field immediately! At the end of my turn they are sent back into my deck!" Grabbing three cards from his hand, he slapped all of them onto his disk. "Awaken now, my mighty warriors of the sky!"

Three Amazon-like woman on horseback appeared on the field. "First, I summon Valkyrie Sovite (1600/1600) in attack mode!" The first woman had pink hair.

The next one had aquamarine hair. "Valkyrie Altest's (1600/1600) also arrives."

Hmphing, the third Valkyrie glared at her master. "Ah yes, and Valkyrie Dritt (1000/1600) is last, but not ever least. And thanks to the power of the Chaos Dimension, my monsters get a power boost!"

Valkyrie Sovite (2300/1600)

Valkyrie Altest (2300/1600)

Valkyrie Dritt (1700/1600)

Ichigo still didn't flinch. "My creature has a defense total of 2400, which is 100 more than your creatures' attack strengths."

Octavian chuckled again and pointed to the pink-haired Valkyrie on his field. "Valkyrie Sovite's ability will destroy one monster on your field when she is summoned. You're finished!" A glowing rain of glitter fell around the Shield Bearer, but the monster didn't disappear. "What?"

Ichigo held up one of his face-down cards. "Shadow Barrier protects my monster from effects this turn, making your entire strategy useless."

Octavian froze slightly, his eyes wide. No one had even stopped his Valkyrie's charge before. "I'm not done yet. I play the magic card Planar Chains! This will prevent any monsters on my field from leaving until the beginning of your next turn, which means that my monsters are safe. End turn."

Ichigo drew. "Actually…no they're not." His face-down card flipped up. "Or have you never heard of Flash Bang?" An echoing mix of sound and smoke rocked across Octavian's field, leaving all of his three Valkyries stumbling. "This trap card can only work when I have a Cyber Shadow on the field. It will cut the attack of your monsters in half for this turn."

Valkyrie Sovite (1150/1600)

Valkyrie Altest (1150/1600)

Valkyrie Dritt (850/1600)

Octavian gritted his teeth as the power the Chaos Dimension granted him disappeared.

"That's not all though," Ichigo held up two cards. "I'll use Polymerization to fuse Shield Bearer with Cyber Shadow-Ninja (1100/200) to create this!" A woman in a black body-suit appeared next to the shield-carrier and the two were sucked into a glowing vortex. When the vortex faded a monster stood on the field that was a woman surrounded by a glowing suit of prismatic armor. "Cyber Shadow-Shield Shogun (1500/2500) in attack mode." The woman looked at each of the three Valkyries in turn and then cracked her knuckles.

"You'll only be able to destroy one of my creatures, so don't get so cocky." Octavian was more than angry now. He was flat out pissed that some little punk had stopped his quick-kill strategy.

Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Special Operative Weapon-Plasma Shotgun!" A heavy shotgun appeared in the hands of the Shield Shogun. "This card increases my monsters attack points by 300 and gives it the power to attack everything you have on the field! Go now, Shotgun Spread!" (1800/2500) The woman lifted the weapon and when it fired a spray of red light slammed into each Valkyrie and blew them all apart.

Ichigo- 4000

Octavian- 1750

Ichigo didn't show any emotion. "And the effect of my Shield Shogun switches her into defense mode at my end phase. End turn." The woman shouldered the heavy weapon and fell to one knee.

Octavian drew. "That was indeed an impressive performance on your part, boy. However…I didn't get to my status of dueling by letting myself collapse to pressure! I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "I'll make you pay for what you did to Eri…starting right now! Go Pot of Greed!" He drew two cards off of his deck. "And now I summon Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh (300/200) in attack mode!" A little furball in a tuxedo appeared on his field. "This little guy's special power activates when I discard one card from my hand. Go Cuteness Espionage!" Giggling, the little Kuriboh disappeared.

Octavian blinked in surprise as something popped up out of the ground at his feet. It was the Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh wearing a little miner's hat. "What in the world…" The furball hopped up out of the hole, grabbed the top card of his deck, and then disappeared.

Ichigo smirked as the Kuriboh appeared on his head and handed him the card. "Thanks much, friend." Then he looked at the card and his expression turned into something of pure horror. "What in the hell….is this…"

Octavian smirked. "Well, are you going to play the card or not?"

Ichigo gritted his teeth, unsure what this card meant. "I….will switch Shield Shogun into attack mode and blast your monster apart. Go now, Shotgun Spray!" The woman lifted the gun up and blew the set monster apart.

Octavian picked up the card and slid it into his graveyard. "You destroyed my Jar of Wealth (200/300) and when it is flipped up and I have no cards in my hand I can roll a die and draw a number of cards equal to the rolled number." He held up his hand, which held a single white die. Like before, he dropped it and it clattered to a stop next to his shoe. "Four is the number." He drew four cards and smirked.

Ichigo growled and pointed at him. "Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh attacks you directly!" The little furball pulled out a cork gun from its tuxedo and fired a single cork across the field that hit Octavian in the cheek. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo- 4000

Octavian- 1450

The man snickered and drew. "I know what card you drew…and it frightens you, doesn't it?" He inserted a card into his disk. "Well it isn't going to get any easier for you now. I activate the magic card Treasure of Nibelung. This magic card lets me play the Nibelung Ring equipment magic card from my deck and attach it to your monster." A silver ring fell around the waist of the Shield Shogun. "As long as this card is in play, your monster cannot be controlled by you. Also, now each turn you will draw two cards from your deck. If either of those cards are monsters, then you must discard one hand card before continuing that turn."

Ichigo growled, the wings that still sat folded on his back flapping slightly.

"That isn't all though," Octavian's slid across his deck and he held up five cards. "Treasure of Nibelung also lets me draw five cards." Inserting the cards into his hand, he took one of his now nine and slid it into his field magic card slot. "I play the field magic card Sanctuary of the Valkyries-Valhalla! This field card fuses with Chaos Dimension to create Chaos Valhalla!" Everyone around them warped and shifted into a cloudy field, with the sounds of battle off in the distance. "Welcome to my battlefield, where I go to in my dreams."

Ichigo glanced around at the mist and then bared his fangs. "I'm going to make you burn."

"Not much in the mood for talking?" Octavian slid two cards into his disk. "Then let me set two cards face-down and show the effect of my Chaos Valhalla. Now I will play every Valkyrie in my hand immediately to the field when I draw them. Also, they gain a fifty percent power boost." Grasping two cards from his hands, he threw them both onto his disk. "Come out now, Valkyrie Altest and two Valkyrie Dritt!" Two red-haired Valkyries and one aquamarine one appeared on his field. "These ladies now get a power boost!"

Valkyrie Dritt (2550/1600)

Valkyrie Altest (3150/1600)

"Go Altest, crush his Kuriboh!" Yelling out a battle cry, the aquamarine-haired warrior woman charged across the field on her horse, sword raised to cut through Ichigo's monster.

The Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh pulled a little string next to it and a huge wall shot up in between the two duelists and their fields, effectively cutting off Octavian's attack. "You triggered my Alert Tripwire quickplay magic card. This negates your attacks this turn and lets me draw cards equal to the number of Cyber Shadows on the field." Ichigo drew twice.

Octavian chuckled and slid a card into his disk. "Perhaps so, but I play the magic card Alternate Dimension. This card lets me transport my three Valkyries off of the field and back into my deck. Then I may select three new Valkyries and add them to my hand." Shuffling the three cards into his deck, the man removed three different ones. "I need to use my best weapons to defeat you now. These three of my ladies will crush you beneath their blades. End turn."

Ichigo stood there, his eyes closed. ("If I can attack his life points directly this turn, I will win. However…") His eyes opened and looked at the two set cards. ("The chances he is bluffing are too low…what will I do?")

Octavian felt the pulse of each of the three Valkyries in his hand. ("Your power will win…for I have worked far too hard collecting each of your souls.")

_To be continued…_


	4. Soul Valkyries

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 4: Soul Valkyries

_The Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh pulled a little string next to it and a huge wall shot up in between the two duelists and their fields, effectively cutting off Octavian's attack. "You triggered my Alert Tripwire quickplay magic card. This negates your attacks this turn and lets me draw cards equal to the number of Cyber Shadows on the field." Ichigo drew twice._

_Octavian chuckled and slid a card into his disk. "Perhaps so, but I play the magic card Alternate Dimension. This card lets me transport my three Valkyries off of the field and back into my deck. Then I may select three new Valkyries and add them to my hand." Shuffling the three cards into his deck, the man removed three different ones. "I need to use my best weapons to defeat you now. These three of my ladies will crush you beneath their blades. End turn."_

_Ichigo stood there, his eyes closed. ("If I can attack his life points directly this turn, I will win. However…") His eyes opened and looked at the two set cards. ("The chances he is bluffing are too low…what will I do?")_

_Octavian felt the pulse of each of the three Valkyries in his hand. ("Your power will win…for I have worked far too hard collecting each of your souls.")_

Ichigo looked at the cards in his hand and felt a single spark of life run along his fingertips at the touch of the middle card. ("Could it really be…no, there's no time to worry about that!") "It's my turn, draw!" The half-demon snapped the top two cards off of his deck. Looking at them, he growled and discarded a different card from his hand. "There, I followed your stupid effect. Now I set one card face-down on the field and play Card of Sanctity."

Octavian laughed and drew a card. "Do you think I care that I only get one card from your effect?"

"I don't give a damn what you care about, you sick bastard." Ichigo drew four cards and added them to his hand. He nodded slightly to one of the cards and slid it into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field; switch Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh into defense mode…" There were a few moments of hesitation but then he decided. "And discard a card from my hand to activate Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh's effect! Go Cuteness Espionage!"

The little furball stuffed itself into a box. A few seconds later a postage truck drove by, picked up the package, and delivered it at Octavian's feet. The top of the box popped open and the little secret agent leapt up and snatched the top card of the man's deck. Moments later Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh was back on top of Ichigo's head.

Taking the card, Ichigo smirked and slid it into his graveyard. "You were going to be a lucky guy. I play Pot of Greed." He drew two cards. "Then I set one monster in defense mode. At the end of my turn my Shield Shogun's effect forces her into defense mode."

Octavian drew. "It's time to call in the troops!" He threw down three cards onto his disk. "Chaos Valhalla's special ability lets me special summon all three of my Valkyries to the field! Come forth!"

The first Valkyrie to appear on his field rode a gold-colored horse and had dark black hair. "Valkyrie Ebony (2400/1400) in attack mode!"

Secondly was a woman on top of silver horse with brown hair. "Valkyrie Sammy (1800/1600) in attack mode!"

Thirdly was a Valkyrie on top of a bronze-colored horse with blond hair. "Valkyrie Ashley (1400/2000) in attack mode!"

Ichigo stood there dumb-founded, staring into the faces of three girls that just a few days ago he had spoken with. ("They're….Duel Monsters?")

Octavian held up a card from his hand. "My Nobleman of Crossout card removes your face-down defender from play!" A man in silver armor appeared and leapt forward to slash the face-down card in half. "That's not all though, because now the effect of Valkyrie Ashley triggers!"

Ashley reared up on her horse and threw a golden spear across the field that slammed into Ichigo's chest and sent him stumbling backwards. "Whenever a card is removed from play you take 500 life points of damage."

Ichigo- 3500

Octavian- 1450

Octavian grinned at the pained look across Ichigo's features. "Did you know these three? I'm so sorry that you have to fight them now, but I refuse to lose to the likes of you!" He slid a card into his disk and pointed at Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh. "Valkyrie Ebony attacks now!"

Kicking the side of her horse, Ebony pulled a sword free from her hip and brought it down to slash through the little furball. Instead of exploding into dust though, it just faded away. "When she destroys a monster it is removed from play, so take more life point damage thanks to Valkyrie Ashley!" The blond-haired girl threw another spear that crashed into Ichigo's ribcage and sent him stumbling back again. "End turn."

Ichigo- 3000

Octavian- 1450

Ichigo's eyes looked down at the Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh card and he gritted his teeth while sliding it into his jacket pocket. "That's it, you sick bastard! Draw!" He slid two cards off of his deck and smirked. "Your little plan backfired. Neither of these are monsters, so I get to keep them." Then he flipped one of the cards over. "Go De-Fusion! This quickplay magic card will break down my Shield Shogun into its separate pieces!" The Shield Bearer and Ninja reappeared on the field, leaving the Nibelung Ring to shatter into pieces.

Octavian gritted his teeth as his monster control effect just became useless.

Ichigo wasn't done yet though. "I won't let you hurt innocent creature and get away with it! Even if it means playing by your sick rules! I sacrifice my two monsters to summon this!" He held up the card he was going to play and light flooded the room. "Go Valkyrie Eri (2800/2000) in attack mode!"

Though the Valkyrie looked like Eri, it definitely wasn't the same kind of Eri that most would be used to. For the first thing, Eri would never wear armor that looked more like something a model would wear instead of a warrior. Nor would Eri have her tail out in public, much less fluffed up for the sheer fact of looking nice. For a nice final touch, Eri wasn't about 7'5". "Wha…."

"Now Valkyrie Eri…." Ichigo's order froze in his throat as he actually looked upon the form of what he just summoned. "……….."

Eri shook her head to clear it. ("I felt like I had the strangest dream…") Her eyes slowly opened…and came to rest upon Ichigo. Except she had to do something she'd never needed to do before. That was look down to see him. "When did you shrink?"

Ichigo found trouble forming words, and whatever plans he had for this turn were long gone as well. "Uh….uh…."

Eri tapped her foot, trying to be as patient as she could. "Well?"

"You….you…" Then he told her what she needed to know in one action. He exploded into a nose-bleed…

Eri slowly looked down and turned bright red. Immediately she attempted to cover herself as well as she could…

Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut and pinched his nose to stop the blood flow.

But that didn't help him when Eri's now much larger foot slammed into his chest and sent him flying backwards into the boundaries of the Chaos Dimension. "Your perverted bastard! How dare you put me in something like this!"

"I didn't!" Ichigo rebounded and barely managed to stop himself. "Do you think I have the power to do stuff like this?"

"DIE!" Eri had realized that her new outfit came with a sword. And she was about to test how sharp it was on a certain someone.

Ichigo threw his hands over his head and braced himself for death….only that death never came.

Eri's blade was just a few inches from him, but it didn't advance nor retreat. The owner of said blade slowly moved the sword aside and sheathed it. With casual ease she reached down, grabbed Ichigo by the scruff of his neck, and held him up eye level with her. "Don't fail me…because believe it or not I trust you. I'm not sure why, but I trust you to win this battle. If you're supposed to be my fiancée, then prove your worth."

Ichigo dangled there and blinked at her a couple of times. "Umm….I would, but you have to put me down."

"In a moment, let me enjoy being tall while it lasts." The demoness noticed the white wings on his back and poked them a couple of times. "Sooo….are those real?"

"I think so," Ichigo was blushing furiously.

Eri smirked at that blush and dropped him to the ground. "Anyway, continue with your turn."

"Are the two of you done?" Octavian was tapping his foot repeatedly and was waiting for his disk to beep so that it was his turn.

Ichigo returned to his spot on the field and slid a card into his disk. "Before I continue my turn I play the magic card Cyber Shadow Crest. This magic card turns one monster on the field into a Cyber Shadow and raises its attack points by 500."

Eri felt a momentary itch on her arm as a strange tattoo appeared. (3300/2000)

Ichigo pointed at Ashley. "Go Eri, attack now!"

Eri looked at her opponent and her eyes widened. "I'm not going to attack my friends!"

Octavian snickered at the now flustered-looking Ichigo. "It seems like you don't possess the necessary power to control your monster. That's such a darn shame."

Ichigo growled angrily at the demoness. "We have to win or else we might never get their souls back."

"And attacking their souls is a better idea?" Eri growled down at him, and he quickly stepped back. While Eri at her normal size was intimidating, an Eri that quite easily towered over you was downright terrifying.

"Fine! If we lose it's your fault then!" Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Octavian drew. "Now then, it's time for me to attack. As you should remember all monsters on my field gain 700 extra attack points, and then gain a fifty percent power boost."

Valkyrie Ashley (3150/2000)

Valkyrie Sammy (3750/1600)

Valkyrie Ebony (4650/1400)

Eri's eyes widened and she glanced back at Ichigo, who looked incredibly frustrated now. "Please tell me that you have some kind of plan."

"I doubt it." Octavian pointed at Eri. "Go Ebony, attack now and remove Eri from play!" Yelling out a battle cry, the dark-skinned girl charged forwards on her horse with every intention of cutting Eri down.

For her part, the demoness barely flinched at the approaching death.

Ichigo gritted his teeth. ("I have no choice!") "Reverse card open! Go Mirror Force!" A glowing barrier of blue light exploded upwards in between the two 'monsters'. "This trap will destroy all attack mode monsters on your field!" Ebony was pushed backwards to choice Ashley and Sammy. Then the Mirror Force released a shotgun blast of energy that hurtled towards the three.

"You homicidal bastard!" Eri turned to punch Ichigo so hard he wouldn't be able to see straight for a year…

"Activate Radiance Ring!" Octavian motioned to one of his now face-up cards. "This continuous trap card allows me to discard a card from my hand to negate the destruction of one monster on my field. So I'll throw out my whole hand to keep my creatures from being destroyed!" The shotgun blast dissipated as it slammed into a glowing ring of light. "And though Ebony's attack was negated…now I'll wipe out Eri with Sammy! Go!" Letting out a battle cry, the brown-haired charged and lifted her spear.

Eri gasped, realizing that Ichigo probably intended for his Mirror Force to keep them safe. Throwing up her arms, she prepared for the worst.

"It's over, now you both will be mine!" Octavian sneered and watched Sammy get closer…

Ichigo's eyes shimmered crimson. "Go Shadow Force!" A barrier of silver light sprang up and blocked the spear attack. "This trap card can only work if I have a Cyber Shadow on the field. It will not only end your turn and negate your attack, but now my monster gains the attack of your negated monster permanently!"

Eri gasped again in partial ecstasy as she felt energy flow into her from the barrier. (6450/2000)

Ichigo drew. "If Eri won't fight, then I will! I set one card face-down on the field, and one monster as well. That isn't all though, because I reveal this equipment magic card!" A glowing shield appeared on Eri's arm. "Special Operative Weapon-Cloak Shield! This card raises Eri's defense points by 1000, and she cannot be the target of attacks as long as I have other monsters on the field." (6450/3000) "End turn."

Eri glanced back at Ichigo. ("He's trying to do things my way…he could have easily forced me to attack one of my friends if he had wanted to.")

Octavian drew. "That was impressive before, but it won't happen again. Go Ebony, crush the defender now!" Yelling a battle cry, the girl charged forwards and slashed through the set monster. What she got in retaliation was an echoing scream of sound that left her, the other Valkyries, and Octavian clutching their ears.

"You just attacked my Cyber Shadow-Screamer (350/650) and when it is flipped up your turn ends. That isn't all though, because I get to take a Polymerization card and a Cyber Shadow from my graveyard and place them into my hand." Removing two cards from his graveyard, he drew. ("This whole not being able to attack thing is going to be a problem. I can't keep pulling defenses out of my ass.")

Octavian laughed and motioned to Ashley, who had a spear at ready. "Did you forget that Ebony removed your monster from play? And that means that Ashley damages you now for 500 points of damage!" The spear hurtled through the air and slammed into Ichigo's chest, bringing him to his knees.

"Dirty coward!" Eri growled and felt rage build up in her chest. "I'll rip you apart!"

Ichigo- 2500

Octavian- 1450

Ichigo came to his feet and placed a card onto his disk. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Retriever (1000/1000) in defense mode." A silver-plated crab robot appeared on his field. "And then I set one card face-down. End turn."

Octavian drew. "I made the mistake last time of not setting my trap before I attacked. This time you won't be so lucky. I set one card face-down and attack with Ebony!"

"Don't even bother!" Ichigo motioned to his face-down card. "Go Negate Attack! This trap card will end your battle phase and stop you from even getting near me this turn."

Octavian frowned and ran his hands through his hair. "As you wish it…end turn."

Ichigo looked down at his deck. He smiled slightly and drew. "I set one card face-down on the field and summon Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer (0/2400) in defense mode. End turn." A man holding onto a huge riot shield appeared on the field in a crouching position.

Octavian drew. "You're nearly finished…for I play Valkyrie's Hug! Then I switch Valkyrie Ashley into defense mode!" The girl, instead of going defensive, leapt across the field and wrapped her arms around Eri, pinning the demoness' arms to her sides.

"What the hell are you doing Ashley?" Eri struggled, but even for all of her increased attack points she was unable to move.

Ichigo didn't know what was going on, but he had a sneaky suspicion that it was bad.

Octavian laughed and pointed at Eri. "This effect will work only when I play Valkyrie's Hug. During this turn when one of my Valkyries goes into defense they remove an opponent's monster from play. Your girlfriend's soul is about to be lost forever!"

Eri's eyes widened hugely and she struggled even harder. "NO!"

Ichigo motioned to his face-down card. "I told it to Justus and I'll tell it to you. Eri isn't going anywhere! Go continuous trap card!" Ashley released her hold on Eri and returned to Octavian's field. "My trap is called Cyber Force. Unlike Shadow Force, it has a slightly different effect. As long as this is on the field and I have a Cyber Shadow in play, then all targeting effects on my monsters are negated!"

Eri breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Octavian growled in frustration. "How long will you dodge?"

Ichigo motioned with his fingers. "Come and see what my other face-down card is."

"I'd rather not. End turn." Octavian knew better than to run into another trap.

Ichigo drew. "I play Cyber Shadow Mainframe! As long as this card is in play all Cyber Shadows on my field will be gaining an extra 500 attack points. It doesn't matter though, because I sacrifice it to special summon two Cyber Shadows in my graveyard to the field!" A woman in black clothing and a silver humanoid robot appeared in crouching positions. "Cyber Shadow-Ninja (1100/200) and Cyber Shadow-Guardian (0/2200) are ready for action!"

"So now you have five monsters, so what?" Octavian had the attack advantage, since Eri refused to fight her friends.

Ichigo snapped his fingers. "Go Special Mission! This continuous trap can only be activated while I have five Cyber Shadows in play. First, I send all level four or lower monsters on my field into my hand." Picking up the four non-Eri monsters, he smirked. "During this turn I can fuse monsters without Polymerization. Then I choose any cards in my hand and replace them with cards from my deck of my choice."

"What?" Both Eri and Octavian had never heard of any effect like that before. It seemed almost too powerful, drawbacks and requirements considered. "There has to be more."

"Oh there will be. Firstly I can only take monster cards. Secondly, after I do this all other monsters in my graveyard and deck are removed from play." Ichigo removed his graveyard. "However, all non-monster cards on my field and graveyard are shuffled into my deck. Do you understand now? This duel is going to be with the monsters I summon and nothing else."

Sliding his deck back into its slot, Ichigo held up his six cards. "First I fuse Cyber Shadow-Blademaster (2000/1600) with Cyber Shadow-Moonblade (2000/1700) to create Cyber Shadow-Boss (3000/2300) in attack mode!" A woman with two laser swords appeared on the field next to Eri and gave the demoness a confused glance.

Eri returned the glance with a low growl. "It isn't like I'm here on purpose."

"Next I fuse Cyber Shadow-Soldier (1600/1600) and Cyber Shadow-Assassin (1000/800) together to create Special Operative-Snake (2000/1800) in attack mode!" The bandanna wearing form of Ichigo's favorite card appeared on the field in a standing position next to Boss.

The third monster was a woman surrounded by a glowing prismatic shield. "Come out now, Cyber Shadow-Shield Shogun!" (1200/2500)

Octavian threw back his head and laughed again. "Take a look at your field, you fool. Because of your card effect you just lost all of your defenses, and all for some useless monsters."

"Useless?" Ichigo drew five cards. "I beg to differ. Special Mission's effect isn't done yet. Now I draw five cards!" He looked at all of them and saw a strategy in the forming. "I play Pot of Greed first, increasing my hand size to six!" Looking at the six cards, he nodded slightly to one of them. "Next up is the magic card Regroup. This will remove three monsters of mine from the field until the beginning of my next turn, but I may draw three cards as well." He picked up three monsters. "Sorry Eri."

"You son of a…" Whatever else Eri was going to say went unsaid as she disappeared.

Ichigo pointed at his remaining monster, the Shield Shogun. "Next up is a magic card! Go Five-star Twilight! I sacrifice my five-star monster to summon my best creatures out!" The woman disappeared and was replaced by a five glowing stars of light. "Summon the Five Kuriboh Siblings!" (300/200X5) Each of the stars faded and was replaced by a little furball of a different color. They all squeaked in unison and started dancing. "Then I set three cards face-down on the field and end my turn."

Octavian drew. "As impressive as all this is, you're about to lose three of your little blockers right now! Prepare to fall! Go Ebony!" Yelling another cry, the dark-skinned girl charged towards the five Kuriboh with murder in her eyes.

Ichigo motioned to his little friends. "Kuribe special ability activates! By fusing these five together I can special summon Kuribandit (1000/700) to the field!" The five Kuriboh were pulled together to form a much larger Kuriboh with an eye patch and bandanna on. "His effect will let me sacrifice him to draw five cards. Any monsters I pull must be discarded, but since I have no monsters in my deck it shouldn't matter, should it?" Ichigo drew five more cards and then motioned to his set cards. "Go Truce of Opposing Forces! This trap card will send your monster back into your hand. This way, I'll have a free attack at your life points!" The three Valkyries disappeared.

Octavian smirked and slapped them all onto his disk. "Fool, my field card lets me summon them all back." Each of the three captured souls turned monsters appeared on the field. "Your little trick failed. End turn."

Ichigo drew. "Actually…"

"…bitch!" Eri shimmered back onto the field, as did Boss and Snake. She blinked in confusion at the field and looked over at Ichigo. "Where did that other lady go?"

Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "She's right here! Go Monster Reborn!" Shield Shogun reappeared on the field. "You're finished!"

"Actually, the only one of us who is finished is you!" Octavian snapped his fingers and his three cards that were face-down flipped up. "First Gift of the Mystical Elf raises my life points by 300 per monster on the field!"

Ichigo- 2500

Octavian- 3550

"Then my Three Valkyrie Sisters trap card will force your Valkyrie to come to my field…right after she attacks you directly!"

Eri's eyes turned violet and she turned on one heel to drive her sword right through Ichigo's body.

Ichigo snapped his fingers and one of his set cards flipped up. "Have you forgotten that she is a Cyber Shadow as well? Go Shadow Barrier!" Eri stumbled and lowered her sword, eyes returning to normal.

Octavian held up his other card. "Not quite finished yet though. Activate Horn of Calling! This will let me special summon two monsters from my deck as long as I discard two cards!" He tossed his hand and slapped two new monsters down. The first was a woman in priestly robes and the second was a glowing shield. "Valkyrie Life-Giver (300/400) will prevent me from taking damage as long as I have Valkyries on the field. Also, you cannot attack her until my other monsters are gone. Also, my second monster is Valkyrie War Banner (0/2000) and while it is out all Valkyries on my field gain double attack points! And for an added bonus it cannot be attacked period!"

Valkyrie Ashley (6300/2000)

Valkyrie Sammy (7500/1600)

Valkyrie Ebony (9300/1400)

Ichigo knew what this was. ("He's getting ready to stop my attacks.") "It's a shame really….because I'm not attacking anybody but you!"

Octavian shrugged and pointed to his Life-Giver. "Did you forget so quickly? My monster shields me from damage as long as it is in play."

Ichigo discarded a card. "Not quite! Special Operative-Snake special ability activates! By discarding a hand card I can destroy a monster on the field with an original attack less than Snake's. You will also take damage equal to half of that monster's attack power! Go Sneak Attack!" Snake disappeared from sight and appeared behind the Life-Giver. She turned just in time to get hit by a high-powered upper-cut and blown apart into little digital bits. "Of course this does cost me my battle phase for this turn."

Ichigo- 2500

Octavian- 3400

Ichigo held up a card and a blast of wind blew the Radiance Ring apart. "Mystical Space Typhoon first." Another card was slid into his disk. "And then the magic card Last Gift. This card will only work if I discard a Polymerization magic card!" He did so and Boss exploded into dust. "Fuse Boss' power and Valkyrie Eri together to create Dark Shadow Eri!" (10000/0)

Eri shuddered slightly as the dressings of the Valkyrie disappeared and were replaced by a black form-fitting body suit. In her hand rested a single glowing sword of gold and white light. "This is much better than that stupid swimsuit."

Ichigo smirked. "It gets better. Dark Shadow Eri draws in the power of all Cyber Shadows on the field thanks to Last Gift." (13200/0)

Octavian shrugged again. "You can't attack even if you wanted to."

Ichigo slid another card into his disk. "Go equipment magic card Special Operative Weapon-Wings of Steel!" A pair of huge black steel wings exploded out of Eri's back. "This card increases Eri's attack points by 400." (13600/0)

"So you plan on making her too powerful to attack? Well I'm sorry to disappoint you but leaving your Snake in attack mode was foolish." Octavian had this duel.

"Chill out and let me finish my turn!" Ichigo slid another card into his disk. "Activate the continuous magic card Cyber Shadow Mainframe, raising Eri's attack points by another 500!" (14100/0) He slid another two cards into his disk. "And then I activate the magic cards Legend's Heroic Charge and Transfer Force!" Snake shimmered and dissipated into the wind. "Legend's Heroic Charge doubles the attack of any Special Operative on my field. Then Transfer Force will sacrifice Snake to transfer his doubled attack score straight to Eri's attack points. There's only one downside to this, and that is the fact that I must give up life points equal to the original attack score of my monster." (18100/0)

Ichigo- 500

Octavian- 3400

Eri looked back at Ichigo in confusion. "Why are you using up all of your power to raise my strength?"

Ichigo flipped up his remaining face-down card. "Go Dream Shield! This trap card lets me sacrifice a monster and add its defense points to the attack points of one of my monsters for one turn!" The Shield Shogun exploded into dust. (21100/0)

Octavian shook his head sadly. "So much effort…and all for nothing."

Ichigo discarded a card into his graveyard. "Activate Stimulation Boost! This card lets me double my points any number of times this turn, but at the end of this turn my life points return to normal and I lose life points equal to the number of times I doubled the score times 1000. It's a risk, but I'm willing to take it for Eri's sake." He held up five fingers. "May as well go for broke."

Ichigo- 16000

Octavian- 3400

Octavian chuckled and waited patiently. "Suicide is unbecoming of any duelist. You should know that."

"I do know that." Ichigo pointed at his Cyber Shadow Mainframe card. "Activate special ability number three!"

"Number three?" Both Eri and Octavian echoed.

Ichigo discarded the top ten cards of his deck. "By throwing the top ten cards of my deck I can play the field magic card that will bring you down!"

"What if you just threw that card out?" The man was starting to feel worried.

"Then I'm screwed," Ichigo pulled out his deck and looked through it. "But since I'm fighting to protect someone, it's right here on the bottom of my deck. Go Cyber Shadow Base!" All around them a command center for some kind of high-tech agency formed. Amidst the sounds of beeping computers and humming engines, Ichigo spoke, "As long as this card is in play I now have a number of effects to use against you. The one that will defeat you is this! Go System Crossout!" Lasers shot through the air and slammed into the three Valkyries and the Valkyrie War Banner. "This effect requires that for each use of it I have to give up half of my life points. So I'll get my life points cut in half three times, since the first shot each turn is free." The lasers didn't do any damage to Octavian's monsters, but now each of them had a glowing circle on their chests.

Ichigo- 2000

Octavian- 3400

Octavian saw that his monsters weren't destroyed and he laughed. "How pitiful is this? You can't kill these ladies."

"I won't have to." Ichigo smirked. "Your monsters now all have target counters on them. So by activating the effect of Cyber Shadow Base, I can defeat you. First I play Card of Sanctity though, so let's both draw six cards." He slid six cards off of his deck and smiled widely. "Alright! Now I discard four cards from my hand to activate the second active effect of base! Go Security Removal!" Each of Octavian's monsters disappeared. "By discarding a card from my hand at any time I can remove an opponent's monster with a target counter on it from play until the beginning of my next turn. So by giving up nearly all of my cards I can clear your field."

"You can't attack!" Octavian drew six cards. "So stop making it sound like you have won!"

Ichigo wasn't listening. "Go Mechanical Research Division! This magic card requires that I discard one card from my hand for it to work. Now I add the attack total of a machine monster on my field to its defense points. After that its attack points are set at a crippling 100." (100/21100)

Eri blinked in confusion. "Since when was I a machine?"

"Since I equipped you with Wings of Steel." Ichigo lifted his hand and took his deck out of its slot. "Now for the final blow. Mechanical Research Division lets me play two magic cards from my deck." He removed them and held them up. "Recognize either of them?"

Octavian shivered at the sight of them, because he didn't know what they did.

"That's a shame, but let me enlighten you." Ichigo slid them both into his disk. "Go Crippling Strike of the Dark Agent and Life-Risking Charge! The first card can only work when I have a Cyber Shadow on the field that had 1000 or less attack points. This monster may attack you immediately, despite what phase it is."

Eri lifted her sword. "Finally!" Yelling a battle cry, she launched forward and slammed her sword down on Octavian's shoulder, sending him to one knee.

Ichigo- 1000

Octavian- 3300

Ichigo placed a hand on one hip, the wings on his back flapping quietly. "Life-Risking Charge requires that I have a monster on the field with 1000 or less attack points. If I do I may sacrifice 1000 life points. During this turn if that monster deals you battle damage then you lose life points equal to that creature's defense."

Eri smirked and sheathed her sword. "In other words…you just lost."

Ichigo- 1000

Octavian- 0

Octavian felt the Chaos Dimension close around him. "No…please….I'll defeat them if you just give me the chance!" A few moments later he wasn't able to talk, as his soul was already gone along with his body. The only remnants of him were the three soul cards on the ground of Ashley, Sammy and Ebony.

Ichigo brushed off his shirt and smirked as he looked up at the moon. "Well what do you know, I'm free of my curse."

Eri glanced back at him and smiled slightly.

"What?" Ichigo had this sudden feeling that she was about to hit him for something. Therefore he was caught completely off guard when her lips pressed against his for a few moments.

Eri pulled her head back slightly, her body already fading away. "Consider it thanks for saving me." Then her soul was back in its body.

Ichigo looked down at the sleeping demoness and rubbed his lips. "Wow…and that made it all worth it."

Then he heard the crack of knuckles behind him. "We need to have another talk, 'son-in-law'." Rikuo's voice was low….very low.

("I hate my life…") Ichigo ran, followed by a pissed-off wolf demon just a few moments later.

_To be continued…_

To Bobbomp: I didn't answer them because honestly I didn't feel like answering them that time.

To Anime Albino: Indeed, much Kuriboh.

To Gryphinwyrm7: That's good to hear.

To Seeker of the Soul: I told you that this guy was screwed up in the head.

To Adriel: I'd give you a prize for guessing it right, but….naw…you don't need anything.

To Chaos Anubis: You understand that you frighten me, right?

To Hogwarts-Knight: You're going to have to wait.

To Sinister: Bro?

To Isumo: Orichalcos….say it with me now….Orichalcos.

To Whitewolf: So, were you right?

To Rex: ………………..Points at Isumo's review


	5. Wandering Warrior

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 5: Wandering warrior

On a foggy highway, a single motorcycle shoots down the highway at impossible speeds. Its rider doesn't seem worried about the possibility of crashing.

("Where am I going?")

A black leather trench coat flapped out into the wind, and its owner rode like the devil was after him. He wasn't sure why he was wandering, but always felt that he was searching for something.

("Why can't I stop searching for what I don't even understand? I don't know what it is that haunts me, but I have to find it before I can stop.")

-

Not too far away a pair of special binoculars looked through the mist and watched the motorcycle. ("I found him…and now to make sure he follows through on my challenge.")

-

Deondre climbed off of his motorcycle and placed his helmet off to the side. "Where am I now anyway? This whole place looks like a ghost town."

That it did. All of the buildings in this small area were mostly destroyed, but Deondre needed a moment to rest so this place worked as well as any other.

Ever since Deondre had sent Kenshin off to school at Kaiba's Duelist Academy, he'd been searching the whole planet for something. What made this so strange was that he had absolutely no idea what this thing was. ("Maybe I've just lost my mind.")

It didn't matter to the dog demon though. He could survive out in the world without the slightest problem. Not only did he have more than enough money, but honestly he disliked the idea of staying in one place for too long.

"Deondre Anderson I assume, the famous Dimension Duelist?"

Deondre had heard the man coming the moment he had gotten off of his cycle. "What do you want? I doubt you're here for any other reason than to duel, right?"

"Very perceptive, but don't hold what I'm about to do against me." The man, who had been using the mist to hide his movements, lifted the rifle he had been carrying and fired once.

Before the bullet had even left the barrel of the gun Deondre had his bag over his shoulder and was out of the way. After a millisecond he realized he wasn't the target of the shot.

The bullet slammed into the fuel tank of the motorcycle, instantly sparking the gasoline and creating an echoing explosion that brought down molten rain all around them.

Dropping the rifle, the man threw his hood back on his coat and raised his arm to reveal a duel disk already in place. "Somewhere in this area is another motorcycle. Defeat me and I'll tell you where it is. Otherwise…you'd better start walking."

Deondre growled and slid his duel disk on. "You just blew up a 50,000 motorcycle, jackass."

"Please, call me Ken." The man smirked slightly and brushed back his hair, which was black and spiked out in all directions.

"I have some other names for you, but I'll withhold them for the sheer factor of time. It'll be night soon and I'd prefer to be out of here before then." Deondre didn't need to shuffle his deck, because he knew that his deck was ready. It always was.

Deondre- 4000

Ken- 4000

Ken drew. "I honestly apologize for the motorcycle, but I am under direct orders. Now then, it is time to unleash my hero." He slapped a card onto his disk. "Go Zombyra the Dark Hero (2100/500) in attack mode!" A humanoid in dark hero's clothing with a demonic face appeared on the field. "Do you know the legend behind Zombyra?"

Deondre rolled his eyes. "He's some comic hero from a few years back. What's your point?"

"He is a hero that was once a monster. Now he fights against the darkness, though every time he does so his body begins to deteriorate from its lack of dark energy." Ken pointed at the holographic representation. "This warrior is a true saint. He sacrifices himself to protect those he could just as easily have hurt. Do not mock him!"

Deondre frowned. "He's a card. Live with that fact before you start yelling at me."

Ken closed his eyes and chuckled. "I have lived with that fact all of my life. There are no true heroes in this world. However, Zombyra is a hero that will fight for what is right. First though, I play the magic card Graceful Charity. With this effect I can draw three cards and discard two." He took two cards and discarded them. "Now I set three cards face-down on the field and end my turn." His slate-colored eyes glimmered in the mist. "Let's see what you can do, Dimension Duelist."

Deondre growled and drew. ("Zombyra has 2100 attack points, and that's way too high for anything in my hand to deal with.") He looked at the drawn card and nodded. ("I'll trust this strategy then.") "First I play the continuous magic card D.D. Beacon!" A green-colored machine appeared on his field. "This card will gain one counter on it every time I play a card with Dimension or D.D. in its title. There comes a downside though, and that is if this card is destroyed then all monsters on my field are removed from play."

Ken's lips curled slightly. "I know all too well what that card does. Can you surprise me in some other way?"

Deondre slapped a card onto his disk. "How about this? I summon D.D. Scout Plane (800/1200) in defense mode." A metal pod with engines attached to it appeared on the field. "This card will return to my field during my standby phase if it is removed from play." Another card was slapped down next to it. "And then I special summon Dimension Doppelganger (?) in defense mode." A crystalline-blue colored mass of light appeared on the field. "This monster can only be summoned when I normal summon a monster with Dimension or D.D. in its title to the field. It will copy that monster's effect and stats." The gas formed into the rough shape of the D.D. Scout Plane. (800/1200) "For my final play, I set one card face-down on the field. You're up."

Ken drew. "Zombyra, attack Dimension Doppelganger now!" The warrior silently leapt through the air and brought its foot down on the crystal monster, blowing it apart. "Whenever Zombyra destroys a monster, he loses 200 attack points." (1900/500) Zombyra returned to his spot on Ken's field, looking slightly tired. "Without the darkness he loses his strength with each battle that he wins. End turn."

"He didn't win crap." Deondre drew. "Or don't you understand that I'm the Dimension Duelist for a reason? I can manipulate my monsters from anywhere." He held up a card. "First I play Pot of Greed to draw twice." After sliding two cards off of his deck, he slid onto into his disk. "I play the magic card Dimension Cyclone! This card will remove one magic or trap card on your field from play, but you get to gain 500 life points." A crystal-blue wind slammed into the center card on Ken's field and blew it apart.

Deondre- 4000

Ken- 4500

Ken smirked. "Pretty, but otherwise useless. Try again."

Deondre slid a card into his disk. "I'm going to enjoy shutting you up. Go Dimension Tear! This card removes on monster from my graveyard. However, if that monster has an effect that brings it back to the field from the removed from play pile then it immediately comes back." He slapped down the Dimension Doppelganger and it reappeared on the field. "And if you remember correctly this guy took the effect of my D.D. Scout Plane."

Ken silently smirked.

Deondre gritted his teeth and slid both of his monsters into the graveyard. "Just keeping smiling…it makes it easier to wipe you out! I sacrifice my two monsters to summon my mighty Dark Magician!" (2500/2100) A purple-robed spellcaster took the place of the two monsters on the field. "Here we go…Dark Magician, attack Zombyra the Dark Hero with Dark Magic Attack!" The magician lifted his staff and released a ball of light that slammed right into Zombyra's chest.

Ken snarled and one of his face-down cards flipped up. "Activate the trap card Hero Undying! This makes Zombyra impossible to destroy in battle for this turn."

Deondre- 4000

Ken- 3900

Deondre growled and slid a card into his disk. "I set this and end my turn."

Ken drew. "The Dimension Duelist…bah! You're nothing like I thought you would be." He slid a card into his disk under the space where Zombyra was. "I activate the equipment magic card Lock Seal." Zombyra shimmered and was surrounded by a glowing sheath of light that covered him from head to toe. "As long as this card is in play you cannot destroy Zombyra with magic or trap effects."

Deondre didn't seem worried. ("Then come and attack, I'm sure you'll love the result.")

The spiky-haired man noticed Deondre's face and snickered. "You think you're safe because your monster has higher attack points?" He inserted another card into his disk. "Now I activate the equipment magic card Heroic Dragon Punch! This card will raise Zombyra's attack points by 1500 as long as I have no other monsters in play!" (3400/500)

Deondre smirked and motioned with his hand for Zombyra to come and get him.

Ken slid his last two cards into his disk. "I set two cards face-down on the field and order Zombyra to attack now!" The Dark Hero pulled back its fist, a ball of fire building around it. "Dragon Punch!" When Zombyra charged it turned into a dragon made entirely of flames that hurtled towards the Dark Magician.

Deondre closed his eyes, his smirk still evident. "Reverse card open…go Dimensional Cylinders!" A pair of crystal-blue cylinders appeared in the air. "This card will negate your monster's attack and remove it from the game. Also, you'll take damage equal to its original attack points!"

"Not quite." One of Ken's cards flipped up. "Go Remove Trap." The Cylinder exploded into dust.

Deondre gritted his teeth as the dragon barreled into his Dark Magician and blew it apart.

Deondre- 3100

Ken- 3900

Ken watched as Zombyra returned to his field. "Zombyra's effect weakens him, but it is of no true consequence." (3200/500) "End turn."

Deondre drew. ("This guy knows my deck too well…and he knows how to counter it. I'm going to have to hit him hard and fast.") "I play Soul Release! This magic card removes five cards from either of our graveyards, so I'll be destroying all five of the cards in your graveyard!"

Ken shrugged and removed the five cards from the disk, placing them into his coat pocket. "So now I have no graveyard. It's no big deal."

Deondre eyes reflected the determination he felt now. It was now or never for him to destroy Zombyra. "Reverse card open! Activate Book of the Void!"

Ken's eyes widened. He'd never heard of Deondre using this card before.

The Dimension Duelist pointed at Ken's disk. "This trap card only activates when you have an empty graveyard! It lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand!" He snapped five cards off of his deck.

"It doesn't matter how many cards you have, because Zombyra is too strong for you." Ken crossed his arms across his chest and sneered.

Deondre held up a card from his new hand. "We'll see about that. Activate the continuous magic card Removal Shield!" A glowing barrier of light appeared over his field. "This prevents my cards from being removed from play. That isn't all though, because I play the magic card Dimension Destruction!"

"What?" Ken felt his knowledge about Deondre's deck fading. These were cards he'd never heard of before.

"This card removes all magic and trap cards from my field, or it would if I didn't have my Removal Shield up. Then as a refund to this effect I can bring back one monster from my removed from play pile or graveyard back to the field!" Deondre caught a card that was slapped out of his disk and threw it down. "The Dark Magician returns!" The purple-robed spellcaster reappeared.

Ken pointed at Zombyra and whistled. "I think you forgot something. My monster can easily kill yours again."

Deondre held up another card. "Don't be naïve! Activate Dedication through Light and Darkness! This magic card lets me sacrifice my Dark Magician to call out his much more powerful form to the field!" Dark Magician's robes warped and changed, turning into skin-tight black leather covered him from head to toe. "From within the chaos he emerges, my Dark Magician of Chaos!" (2800/2600)

Ken knew this play. "So? He can't win."

Deondre caught another card that was spat out of his graveyard. "Dark Magician of Chaos has a special ability. When summoned I can take back one magic card from my graveyard!" He discarded the card and drew two. "First I play Pot of Greed." Two cards quietly slid into slots of his disk. "Then I set two cards face-down."

("That leaves you with two cards.") Ken tensed and waited for the next move.

And Deondre was all but too glad to give it. "Card of Sanctity activate! Start drawing hero boy!" He slid five cards off of his deck, as did Ken. ("This is my last chance to finish this guy before things start getting ugly!") "Reverse card open! Premature Burial lets me pay 800 life points to revive one monster from the graveyard!" His D.D. Scout Plane shimmered into existence.

Deondre- 2300

Ken- 3900

Ken looked at the thing and laughed. "How pitiful…is that the best you can produce?"

Deondre watched his Plane fade away. "I never summoned for this turn! Go Dark Magician Girl!" (2000/1700) The female counter-part of the Dark Magician appeared on the field and threw Deondre a little wink, though he didn't return it. He was too focused at the moment. "Her attack increase because of the Dark Magician in my graveyard!" (2300/1700)

Ken narrowed his eyes. ("This guy is planning something, but what?")

Deondre slammed another card into his disk. "Soul Absorption activates now! This continuous magic card gives me 500 life points every time a card is removed from play!" He slid another card into the slot right next to that one without skipping a single beat. "Activate Soul Release! Now I remove my Dark Magician, Dimension Doppelganger and D.D. Scout Plane from the game!" He removed the three cards, while a white light flowed over him.

Deondre- 3800

Ken- 3900

Ken gritted his teeth. He was fairly sure of what was coming next.

Deondre snickered. "You think you know me? You know the legend, not the man behind it! Go Monster Returned, bring back my Dark Magician!" The purple-robed spellcaster appeared next to the Dark Magician Girl, and she immediately glomped onto him. "Cute couple, ne?"

Ken frowned. "Get on with it!"

Deondre slowly held up a card from his hand, its back to Ken. "This is my last piece of the plan." He flipped the card over. "Go Dark Magic Nova!"

"Dark Magic Nova?" This wasn't what Ken had been expecting.

Deondre pointed at his three spellcasters. They were all glowing gold. "This card can only be activated when I have three spellcasters on my field! Each of them tallies their attack power against one target!"

"Tally their attack points?" Ken's eyes widened as energy flowed through the staff of the Dark Magician of Chaos. The energy then went to the Dark Magician's staff, and finally to the staff of the Dark Magician Girl.

Deondre pointed at Zombyra. "Go!" Each of his three magicians flew forwards and slammed their staffs into Zombyra, hitting it with a ball of magic much bigger than its own body. (7300)

Ken growled and motioned to his set cards. "Reverse cards open! The first is Shattering Strike! This counter trap destroys your magic card and its effect, but that isn't all! Next is the quickplay magic card Reverberation! This card will destroy every monster that was part of a negated effect this turn!"

All three of the magicians screamed in pain as the ball back lashed and blew them all into dust.

Deondre's hair was swept back because of the wind that was caused by the magical backlash against his monsters. His eyes were closed…

Ken looked to Zombyra. "I will not let you die, my friend."

Deondre opened his eyes and held up the three magician cards. "Dark Magician of Chaos removes itself from play when destroyed, so my life points go up."

Deondre- 4300

Ken- 3900

Ken smirked. "It's over. You failed."

Deondre's eyes opened slowly, reflecting a slight glow that came from their golden color. "Actually…I knew this would happen."

"Liar." Ken's smirk continued.

Deondre held up the last card in his hand. "Monster Reborn activate! This magic card revives one monster from my graveyard to the field!" He removed a card and slapped it onto his disk. "Go Dark Magician Girl!" The female magician appeared again, her eyes reflecting the same fire as Deondre had in his.

Ken had heard the words Monster Reborn and had expected the Dark Magician. "What…"

Deondre held up his hand. "D.D. Beacon special ability go!" The green device, which had far more than five glowing motes over it, exploded open to reveal a suit of glowing green armor. "Dimensional Armor is summoned out when my Beacon has five or more counters on it. Now I attach that armor to my Dark Magician Girl!" It latched onto her body and she disappeared in a flash of light. What stood in her place was nearly the same thing, except that her robes and staff were crystalline-blue. Other than that, the biggest difference was her eyes. They both reflected great focus and experience. "Different Dimension Dark Magician Girl (2500/2100) in attack mode!"

Ken's eyes widened even more. "What can she possibly do?"

"She can do just enough to turn the tables!" Deondre grabbed a card from his jacket pocket and slapped it onto the disk. "When summoned my Different Dimension Dark Magician Girl special summons one monster that I have in my removed from play pile!" A familiar black-covered form appeared on the field. "Dark Magician of Chaos is special summoned!"

Ken threw back his head and laughed. "What could you do with those two that you couldn't do with the three from before?"

Ichigo picked up a card that had slid out of his graveyard. "Did you forget something?"

Ken's laughter stopped. "Forget something?"

Deondre held up the card. "Dark Magician of Chaos special ability goes!" He flipped the picked up card over. "Activate the magic card Dark Magic Nova!"

("NO!") Ken felt his teeth nearly crack as light flowed around the bodies of the two spellcasters.

Deondre pointed at Zombyra. "Dark Magic Nova tallies the attack power of my monsters and throws it right at Zombyra! Go Double Dimension Nova!" Both spellcasters struck their staffs together and released a ball of crystalline blue light that struck Zombyra in the chest and blew it apart. (5300)

Deondre- 4300

Ken- 1800

Deondre held up his hand. "That isn't all either, because Dark Magician of Chaos and Different Dimension Dark Magician Girl remove the destroyed monster from the game. So I gain 500 life points. End turn."

Deondre- 4800

Ken- 1800

Ken stood in silence, his eyes lowered and covered by the shadows of the rapidly gathering night. "Zombyra…he will not lose."

"He's gone." Deondre cracked his neck by tilting it to one side. "So get over it and move on. Unless of course my theory is correct and that was the only monster in your whole deck."

Ken slowly brought his gaze to the six cards in his hand. "Not quite….Zombyra will never die! Draw!" Snapping the top card off of his deck, he shoved a new card into the now empty slots of his disk. "Go Heavy Storm!" A huge tornado slammed through Deondre's three magic/trap cards and blew them apart.

Deondre frowned slightly, but trust the attack power of his current monsters.

Ken held up another card. "You will pay. Go Zombyra the Dark Hero!" Another of the warrior monsters appeared on the field.

Deondre sighed quietly. "Fine…now what will you do? This time I have the attack advantage."

"Not for long!" Ken slid another card into his disk. "Go Unification of Soul! This magic card equips to Zombyra and raises his attack points by double if there is a Zombyra the Dark Hero in either my graveyard or removed from play pile!" (4200/500)

Despite the cold, Deondre felt sweat start to develop on his forehead. ("There's no end to this guy, is there?")

"Go Zombyra, Strength of Soul Strike!" Zombyra leapt through the air and brought his elbow down on the back of the Dark Magician of Chaos' neck, blowing it apart. "Then his attack drops by 200. I finish my turn by setting one card face-down." (4000/500)

Deondre- 3000

Ken- 1800

Deondre drew. ("I nearly burned myself out in that last attack…how can I expect to recover from this one?") "I switch Different Dimension Dark Magician Girl into defense mode and one monster face-down. End turn."

Ken drew. "You think putting your monster into defense mode will help you? That's where you are dead wrong! Go Stop Defense!" A wave of red light fell over the Different Dimension Dark Magician Girl and she stood up. "This magic card forces your monster into attack mode. Go Zombyra!" The warrior leapt forward and slammed his fist into the spellcaster's stomach, blowing her apart. (3800/500)

Deondre- 1500

Ken- 1800

Deondre drew. "I'm not beaten yet…I'll defeat this guy again!"

"With only one monster and no cards in your hand?" Ken threw back his head and laughed. "Not a chance, dog-boy!"

Deondre slid the drawn card into his disk. "Then I set this and dare you to attack. End turn."

Ken drew. "I equip my monster with magic card Piercing Spear." A black steel spear appeared in the hands of Zombyra. "He can now deal damage through defense. You're dead. Go Zombyra!" The warrior leapt through the air….

And was stopped dead cold as chain enwrapped it. Deondre pointed to his now face-up trap card. "Shadow Spell prevents your monster from attacking and its attack score is also lowered by 700 points!" (3100/500)

Ken snarled and slid a card into his disk. "I will not fall to your petty traps. I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Deondre drew slowly, his eyes closed. ("My defense won't last long. I'm betting that this guy has some kind of method to free his monster.") "I play the magic card Crystal Summon. This magic card lets me normal summon any monster in my removed from play pile as long as I make sacrifices for it if it is a high level." He snapped his fingers and his Dimension Doppelganger and D.D. Scout Plane appeared on the field. "Remember these guys? Well they're bringing back my Dark Magician of Chaos!" Again the black-clothed spellcaster appeared on the field. "And when he comes back I can take back one magic card from my graveyard!" Grabbing a card without the slightest hesitation from within the graveyard, Deondre slid it into his disk. "Go D.D. Beacon!" The green machine reappeared on his field. "End turn!"

("He brought back the D.D. Beacon?") Ken shrugged and drew. "I suppose there is some intelligent point to that play, but I don't quite see it. Perhaps you'd like to enlighten me?"

"You'll see soon enough." Honestly, Deondre did that on instinct. But instinct had saved him on more than one occasion before.

Ken snickered and slid a card into his disk. "Though I dislike giving my opponent options, I play Card of Sanctity." He drew five cards, while Deondre drew six. "Then I play Shatter the Bonds! This magic card will destroy all of the enemy's cards that are attached to my monsters!" Shadow Spell shuddered and exploded, freeing Zombyra. (3800/500) "Go Zombyra, crush the defense monster and wipe out his life points!" Nodding, the Dark Hero leapt through the air and raised his spear to pierce through the defense monster.

Deondre held up a card. "Not so fast, Ken. Go Dimension Kuriboh!" (300/200) A little crystal-blue furball appeared in front of the card and caught the attack. "This card's effect can only work if I remove a card from my hand and place it into the removed from play pile. If I do this, then your attack is negated."

Ken frowned and slid a card into his disk, filling up his magic and trap zones again. "End turn."

Deondre looked down at his deck. ("One last chance…one last draw. I've got no tricks left that will beat Zombyra…except for one.") He drew, held the card up in front of his face, and smiled slightly. "Those had better be the highest quality trap cards in the world that you have face-down."

"You're bluffing. Without your magic cards you're useless. And don't bullshit me by saying you have plenty left. Your last play exhausted most of your deck." Ken snickered calmly, knowing that his traps were ready.

Deondre placed his hand on his face-down monster card. "It's time…to show you just how wrong you are! Go Dimensional Gatekeeper (400/400) in attack mode!" A blond-haired man holding a huge crystal-blue key appeared on the field. "This guy's effect requires that I give up four monster cards with Dimension or D.D. in their titles!" He held up four cards and discarded them. "These cards are treated as being played." Four counters appeared next to the two over the D.D. Beacon. "Now the effect removes all cards in my graveyard from the game!" He pulled his already thick graveyard out of his disk and inserted it into his shirt pocket. "That isn't all though, because my removed from play pile goes into my graveyard."

After exchanging the two piles, he removed a card from his deck. "Now that all this business is done, the effect of Dimensional Gatekeeper activates! I can now play the continuous magic card Control of the Dimension from my deck or hand!" Sliding the card into his deck, Deondre held up the last card in his hand. "It's go time…so reveal Dimensional Armor!" The Beacon exploded into dust, leaving the crystalline armor on the field.

Ken frowned quietly…he remembered something about this play…but still… ("What is he doing?")

Deondre opened the field magic card slot of his disk. "Field magic card The Different Dimension activate!"

"The Different Dimension?" Ken knew now what this was all about.

"Right," Deondre watched as everything around them blurred and changed into a futuristic city landscape. "This card first requires that I actually have a card in my graveyard for it to work, which luckily I do. Next it destroys all cards on my field!" The Dark Magician of Chaos exploded, as did the Gatekeeper. "Control of the Dimension and Dimensional Armor cannot be removed by this effect. Also, Dark Magician of Chaos is removed from play when destroyed."

Ken felt drops of sweat slide down his chin. ("What…")

Deondre took his graveyard and removed from play pile, switching them again. "The Different Dimension switches my removed from play pile and graveyard around." His smile melted into a cold countenance. "Control of the Dimension activates!" The card shattered. "This effect lets me special summon up to five monsters from my graveyard as long as The Different Dimension is in play! Come out now, my greatest warriors!"

Dark Magician of Chaos, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and a pair of green-haired females wielding laser swords appeared on the field. "D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) is ready to attack!"

Ken spat on the ground. "Zombyra can beat them all."

Deondre removed a card from his graveyard. "We'll see about that! Dark Magician of Chaos gives me back Card of Sanctity! So draw until you have six!" Deondre drew six cards. Ken drew two. "Activate Spell Reproduction! By discarding two magic cards form my hand I can take back any magic card in my graveyard!" Pulling a card out of his graveyard, Deondre slid it into his disk. "It worked before, so go Dark Magic Nova!"

"Not this time!" Ken flipped up a face-down card. "Hero's Escape destroys your magic card!"

Deondre slid another card into his disk. "Go Apprentice Attempts! This magic card will replay one magic card that was just negated! Go Dark Magic Nova!" All three of the spellcasters launched forwards and lifted their staffs, creating a huge ball of light. "Attack now!"

Ken flipped up another card. "Go Mirror Force! This trap card will negate the collective attack and destroy all attack mode monsters on your field!" A glowing blue barrier of light stopped the attacks and returned it in the form of a shotgun-like blast of blue light that blew all five of Deondre's monsters apart. "Hah! You're done!"

Deondre help up a card. "Go Reverse Effect! This magic card will reverse the effect of your Mirror Force card!" All five of his monsters reappeared.

Ken clenched his fists. "It doesn't matter, you're nearly out of cards!"

"Wrong!" Deondre discarded his last card. "Go Magician's Triumvirate!" A card was spat out of his graveyard. "This card only works when there are three magicians on the field. It will return one magic card from my graveyard to my hand. Go Card of Sanctity!"

"Again?" Ken's eye had developed a deep twitch. "Why won't you stop?"

"I'll throw my whole deck at you if I have to!" Deondre drew six cards off of his rapidly dwindling deck.

"It's not that easy! Null and Void open!" Ken snickered as his trap flipped up. "This card activates when someone draws cards. Now you have to discard all of them."

Deondre slid his six new cards into the graveyard. "Nothing but monsters and trap anyway." He snapped his fingers and the Dimensional Armor attached to the Dark Magician of Chaos. There was a flash of light and the being that stood where the Magician had been was a spellcaster glad in crystalline blue robes with a glowing staff in each hand. "Different Dimension Chaos Sage (3500/3500) in attack mode! Special ability go! Now I can take back three magic cards from my graveyard!" Pulling three cards out of his graveyard, Deondre held them up. "Go Dark Magic Nova again!"

Ken discarded two cards from his hand. "You want to play hardball? Then I discard my Sneaky Jammer trap card and a card from my hand to negate your spell!"

Deondre slid another card into his disk. "Go Magician's Draining Blast! This card lets me discard cards from my deck equal to the number of level stars on a pair of Magician's on my field. If that total is five or lower, then nothing happens. If it is six to ten, then I destroy one monster. If it is eleven to fifteen then all monsters on your field are destroyed! And if it is sixteen or higher then all cards on your field will be destroyed! And since my Dark Magician is a level seven and my Different Dimension Chaos Sage is a level ten, you lose it all!" Discarding seventeen cards from his deck, Deondre now had literally no other options remaining than to hope this worked.

"Are you so certain?" Ken discarded his remaining four cards. "I activate the magic card Unlucky Number Thirteen, which can be activated from my hand! This card can only work if I have thirteen cards in my graveyard before activation! I'll discard my whole hand and then this card returns your effect right to you!"

Deondre threw up his arms as everything on his field blew apart, leaving him standing on an empty field and staring down Zombyra alone.

Ken took a deep breath. "All in all that was fun, but when I said that you aren't destroying Zombyra again I meant it."

Deondre held up the last card in his hand. "My final card is the magic card Ascension of the White Dragon!"

"Ascension of the White Dragon?" Ken stumbled back slightly. "What does that do?"

Deondre removed a card from his graveyard. "By paying half of my life points I can special summon this! Come out now, Blue-Eyes Dimension Dragon!" (3000/2500) A huge crystal version of the famous Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on the field. "This monster can only activate its special ability when there is a monster on the field that is stronger than it." Roaring, the dragon opened its mouth to show off sharp teeth capable of tearing steel. "This monster is a one of kind creature that can only attack when it is the only card on my field. If this is so, it will attack your life points directly as long as the only monster on the field is ones stronger than it!"

Ken frowned, though not because of the dragon though, but because his cell phone was ringing. Pulling it out of his pocket, he held it against his ear and frowned even deeper. "I'm going to have to go now. Unfortunately, something big has just come up."

Deondre had face-fallen when Ken's phone had rung, when Ken had actually answered the thing, and then at this last declaration. "You can't run off in the middle of a duel!"

"This isn't a darkness game, so yes I can." Ken closed his phone and placed it into his pocket. "Perhaps we can finish this another time." He dropped a set of keys to the dirt. "Actually, the motorcycle is marked with a special scent that is something like strawberries. With that knowledge you should be able to find it." Turning, he walked off into the night.

Deondre just stood there numbly, trying to register what had just happened. ("Did….he just run?")

-

"This had better be important! I was just about to win!" Ken held up a card that he had fished out of his graveyard. "See this? You know what it does!"

The cloaked form he was yelling at growled. "I see what it is. Yes, your Thunder Fist card would have allowed Zombyra to destroy the Blue-Eyes Dimension Dragon, but this is too important for your little match. We've found the location of another seal on the island, and this one no one seems to be coming across. We have to make sure that someone worthy of its power finds it."

Ken grimaced and walked past the slightly taller man. "You never let me have any fun!"

Turning, the pair of silver and gold eyes watched the Chaos Rider's back. ("You'll have plenty of time to destroy Anderson later. For now…I have a little rematch that I must get underway.") He licked his lips, showing a single white fang that glittered in the night. ("Rikuo Amero…you will be mine.")

_To be continued…_


	6. The Dragon Wolf

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 6: The Dragon Wolf

"Why do you hate my son?" Daniel didn't ask the question with malice or anger…just curiosity.

"Because he's engaged to my princess thanks to stupid human rules." Rikuo lifted his head haughtily. "If I had any choice in the matter, then I would have killed him. For your sake though I just dropped a few rocks on him."

"You mean boulders, right?" Daniel rubbed his eyes with his hands. "I mean…seriously, how did you lift those things? I saw them, and they were huge! Even CJ shouldn't have been able to life those things!"

"I have my methods…" Rikuo snickered and rubbed his index finger under his nose.

"Could you both please let me be badly injured in peace?" Ichigo groaned quietly from his bed in the hospital room. "Please?"

Daniel nodded and grabbed Rikuo by the collar, dragging him out. "You and I need to talk, Yami."

-

"Are you awake?" Ken waved his hand in front of the unmoving form sitting cross-legged in the middle of the helicopter floor. "We're here!"

"I hear you," the cloaked form slowly stood and looked up at the pilot. "Basil, what's the deal? Where's the Seal?"

"The Seal is located in a cave near the top of the middle of the island," Basil's British accent yelled over the whirl of the helicopter blades. "Now hurry up and get out so that I can go land this damn thing! If Kaiba Corporation security figures out we are jamming their radar, then I'm sure any concept of stealth we had will be useless!"

Ken looked out the window at the fact that they were at least 100 feet still in the air. "I think I'll pass, thank you."

The cloaked form casually opened the door of the helicopter and walked out, immediately disappearing as he fell. Without the slightest worry he dropped towards the ground, eyes still closed.

When he landed everyone on the island heard the explosion.

Standing up from the crater that he had created, the cloaked form brushed some dirt off of his cloak and went to stand in the middle of the strangely flat area of mountain-top. A few moments later he started his chant…a strange lilting tune that echoed across the air. ("I know you can hear this Rikuo…it is something only you will understand. A special challenge made only by great warriors. Come and face me, so that I can wipe you out.")

-"Damn it Rikuo, listen to me when I'm chewing you out!" Daniel growled at the fact that his other half wasn't even looking at him anymore.

Rikuo's ears were perked straight up, and his eyes were narrowed. "Normally I wouldn't yell…but SHUT UP!"

Daniel's eyes also widened at this. "Wow….what's wrong?"

Rikuo listened for a few moments longer and felt cold shivers run down his spine. "He's back…after all this time…"

Though Daniel wasn't mentally linked with Rikuo anymore, he immediately understood….and he shivered as well. "You mean…it's him?"

"Yes. He's sending out a challenge…and it's one that I will not turn down." The wolf demon removed his backpack and took out his duel disk. "I want you to stay here with the others and make sure they will be safe. You know as well as I do that this guy is dangerous…extremely so in fact."

As much as Daniel disliked it, he knew that Rikuo was right. "Can you defeat him alone?"

"I very much doubt it," Rikuo took a deep breath and smiled weakly. "But then again, I am a miracle worker. So who knows…maybe I'll be able to crush him in one attack…"

"But it took both of us working in perfect unison to…"

Rikuo held up his hand. "I know…but still, I have to go. Running from him won't help this situation, because if I did so then no one on this island would be safe." Slowly he turned and met Daniel eye to eye. "This is the being who planned on killing countless thousands if I didn't duel him. I doubt that in all the time he has been away that he has undergone any kind of change of heart."

Daniel quietly nodded. "Don't lose, that's all I ask. If you die….then I'll have to be the one to explain to Eri what happened. And I like living, so that's not really an option."

Rikuo smiled and opened the window right next to him. "Keh! You'll live if she attacks…I think."

-

A silver eye and a golden eye opened at once as a scent reached a pair of sensitive nostrils. "You're coming…and quickly. Good, because killing people isn't appealing to me at the moment. I'd prefer to just kill you." Turning slowly, he watched a small dot at the bottom of the mountainside quickly approach. ("Come Rikuo. Come and face me to complete our battle. You will die…and I will feed your soul to Chaos.")

-

Rikuo made the last necessary leap and did a casual forward flip onto the flat mountain-top. As he slowly raised his eyes, he saw his opponent. "I was hoping that I was wrong and that it wasn't you calling…oh well, I guess we don't always get what we want, do we?"

The cloaked form undid the clasp on its covering and threw it aside. "Enough of your pitiful jokes, Amero."

Rikuo frowned as he faced a face that looked just like his. "Fine, then let's get this done. I'd love to mop the floor with your freakish ass."

Other than the eyes and some slight facial differences, the challenger looked exactly like Rikuo, down to the ears and tail. What made him different was the fact that his eyes reflected a darkness that Rikuo had lost long ago. Parting his lips, the look-alike began to speak, "I am Rykiel, the genetically engineered combination of Rikuo Amero, Daniel Pilkington and Ryu Zaytel. I am the perfect duelist and the perfect warrior. You cannot defeat me, incomplete specimen."

Rikuo gritted his teeth and clicked his duel disk into place. "That's what you said last time and I still defeated you."

"No single duelist can defeat me," Rykiel lifted his hand and clicked his duel disk into place. "In fact...you're doomed."

Rikuo- 4000

Rykiel- 4000

Rikuo snickered and drew. "We'll see about that." Looking at his hand, he slid a card into his disk. "I set this face-down and set a monster in defense mode. End turn."

Rykiel closed his eyes, a strange black, gold, and red aura building around him. "My turn…draw!" As the top card came off of his deck, an explosion of energy swept across the mountain-side.

Rikuo shivered again. ("He never lost any of his power…")

Holding the drawn card up, Rykiel opened his eyes and slid it into his hand. "I summon Dark Salamander (1900/0) in attack mode." An explosion of black flame reached up from his field and formed into a towering bipedal lizard-like creature. "Attack now." Opening its jaws, the creature spat out a wave of flames that consumed the set monster.

Rikuo's lip curled and he held the card up. "You just activated the effect of Union Builder (200/100) and when he is flipped up I can take one union monster from my deck that is level four or lower and summon it to the field! Go X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode!" A blue and yellow robot appeared on his field.

Rykiel slid two cards into his disk. "I set these and end my turn."

Rikuo frowned at the calmness in the voice of his opponent. ("So freaking calm…") He drew. "I sacrifice X-Head Cannon to summon Machine King!" (2200/2000) A humanoid robot appeared on his field. "This guy's effect increases his attack by 100 points for every machine monster in play!" (2300/2000) "Rocket Punch now!" The machine lifted its arm…

Rykiel snapped his fingers. "Reverse card open…go Dark Balance. This continuous trap card will work whenever a dark monster of mine is attacked by a stronger monster. The attacking monster will have its attack points lowered to the same number as my monster, and I'll lose life points equal to the reduced amount."

The Dark Salamander opened its jaws and released another wave of black fire that slammed into the Machine King and blew it apart.

Rikuo- 4000

Rykiel- 3600

Rikuo gritted his teeth and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field. End turn."

Rykiel drew. "You understand I'm going easy on your so far, right?"

"Stop bullshitting me," Rikuo spat onto the stone next to him. "Just take your turn."

"As you wish," Rykiel placed a card onto his disk. "I summon Shadow Keeper (1600/1700) to the field in attack mode." A single black steel robot holding a metal spear appeared on the field. "Then I attack your life points directly." Silently, the robot lifted its spear and aimed it at Rikuo.

The wolf demon waved his hand over his field. "You want to play traps? Then I'll play traps too! Go Sakuretsu Armor!" A suit of steel armor appeared on the field. "This trap card will destroy your attacking monster."

"Are you so certain?" Rykiel discarded a card from his hand. "I activate the effect of Shadow Keeper. At any time I may discard a card from my hand to create one Shadow Keeper Token (0/0) which will be destroyed instead of my monster." A shadowy version of the monster appeared and immediately blew apart. "Now as I was saying, Shadow Keeper attacks you life points directly!" The monster wound up and threw the spear across the field, slamming Rikuo right in the chest.

Rikuo- 2400

Rykiel- 3600

Rikuo fell to his knees and sucked in his breath as pain ran through his chest.

Rykiel slid a card into his disk. "End turn."

Rikuo took a couple of seconds to compose, and then he stood up and drew. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Rykiel drew. "Reveal Composed Thoughts! This trap card lets me pay 500 life points to look at your hand and then force you to shuffle one card of your choosing back into your deck."

Rikuo- 2400

Rykiel- 3100

Rikuo growled and flipped his hand over. "Z-Metal Tank, (1500/1300) White Cyber-Wolf (1000/1800) and Soul Exchange." He turned his cards back around and shuffled one into his disk.

Rykiel lifted his hand and pointed at the face-down monster. "Go Shadow Keeper!" The machine monster threw its spear and pierced the face-down card.

Rikuo's lips curled slightly as the entire field was destroyed in one echoing explosion. "You just destroyed Cyber Jar (900/900) and its special ability destroys all monsters in play. Then we both draw five cards from our deck and special summon any level four or lower monsters to the field in face-up attack mode or face-down defense mode."

Rykiel drew five cards, his expression fairly close to unreadable. "I set a monster in face-down defense mode and summon Chaos Ghost (1700/1700) in attack mode." A prismatic specter shimmered onto the field.

Rikuo slid five cards off of his deck. "I set a monster in defense mode."

Rykiel rifled through his cards slowly. "I'll just be moving on to my second main phase now." He inserted a card into his disk. "Now I activate Devil's Storm. I'm sure you remember what this card does, don't you Rikuo?"

The wolf demon snarled…

Rykiel slid a card into his graveyard. "That's correct, it will let me destroy all cards on the field at the cost of one card from my hand." A huge storm of fire swept across the field and destroyed everything, leaving nothing in its wake but ash. "And then I play the continuous magic card Spirit of Balance. As long as the field is empty this card can be played. Now whenever you play or set a card I may do the same."

Rikuo had seen this combo before…and he knew what was coming.

Rykiel placed a card face-down on his disk. "I set a monster in defense mode. Then I'll play the magic card Fair Playing Field. This card activates when I have no cards in my hand and you have over one. Now you discard half of your hand and I draw that many cards."

Rikuo growled low in his throat and discarded three cards.

Rykiel didn't smile or sneer while he drew three. "Activating Fair Playing Field ends my turn immediately."

Rikuo drew. "Then let me tear down your defenses! Go Soul Exchange! With this magic card I can sacrifice monsters on your field to summon my own. Though I won't be able to attack this turn, now I summon…" Rikuo had the card up in the air and ready to come down.

Rykiel held up the card that had been sacrificed. "This card is called Sealing Tower. If used in sacrifice whatever monster is summoned because of this will have its summon countered."

Rikuo's eyes widened as not only did he have to discard Jinzo, but he just had sacrificed his battle phase.

Rykiel slid a card into his disk. "And did you forget that Spirit of Balance lets me play a card now? My new card is the magic card Spirit Mutiny. If a monster you were going to summon was destroyed or countered, it now is special summoned to my field at the cost of one hand card." There was a flash of light in his monster zone as Jinzo appeared and chuckled coldly at its master. (2400/1500)

Rikuo gritted his teeth. "Maybe, but because of what you just did I can still make a normal summon this turn!" He slapped a card onto his disk. "Go White Cyber-Wolf (1000/1800) in defense mode!" A white-colored robot wolf appeared on the field in a crouching position. "And when this monster is normal summoned I can special summon A Black Cyber-Wolf (1800/1000) from my deck to the field!" Next to the white wolf a black one appeared. "I summon it in defense mode and end my turn."

Rykiel slid Jinzo into his graveyard. "Spirit of Balance lets me play a card because you did. So I'll sacrifice Jinzo to summon Dark Judge (2000/2000) in attack mode." A demon in judge's robes appeared on the field. "This monster also has a special ability that has to do with balance…do you remember what?"

Rikuo frowned. "When summoned you get to draw cards until you have the same number in your hand as I do."

Rykiel drew once. "That is correct. And now the turn is mine." He drew another card and actually showed a crack of a smile. "Out of all of my cards, which one was the hardest to defeat?"

Rikuo paled. "No…not that card…"

Rykiel slid a card into his disk. "Go Flames of Hell. This magic card requires that I sacrifice a monster on my field." The Dark Judge roared in pain and burst into flames. "When I do so, I may special summon Master of Inferno; Diablo (2000/1700) in attack mode!" A red-skinned devil holding a spiked whip appeared on the field. "And when summoned to the field Diablo immediately activates an equipment magic card from my deck called Necrowhip." Removing a card from his deck, the demon inserted it into his disk. In the hands of Diablo a whip made of red muscle tissue appeared.

Rikuo felt sweat slide down his face. ("That card lets Diablo revive as many monsters from his graveyard as he has empty monster spaces each turn…")

Roaring in rage, Diablo cracked the whip onto the ground. There was an explosion of fire as four forms rose up out of the ground.

Rykiel looked his new field over. "Dark Salamander, Dark Judge, Jinzo, and a monster that I discarded that is known as Dark Cerberus." (2800/2000) A huge three-headed wolf appeared on the field behind all of the revived monsters. "This creature has the special ability that makes it the only monster you can attack as long as it is in play."

Rikuo didn't like these odds. Now he was stuck with one useless card in his hand and staring down not only five impossibly strong monsters, but his own Jinzo as well. ("Which means that I can't activate traps.")

Rykiel glanced over at Diablo and then at each of his assembled monsters. "This is more than enough attack power to kill you next turn. End turn, since Diablo prevents me from attacking the turn it is summoned."

Rikuo stood there, suddenly unsure what to do. ("I should have expected this…I mean, this guy is the culmination of both my skill and Jourgen's….") His lips lifted just a tiny bit. ("Finally, someone to force me past my own limits.")

_To be continued…_

To Seeker of the Soul: Honestly, Ken would have probably won that.

To Adriel: It's cause I have good memory of cards. Unfortunately, that is as far as my memory extends.

To whitewolf: We shall see who gets this next seal, shan't we?

To Rex: Deondre plays a big combo deck. As for the typo, pay it no mind.

To Bobbomp: I finished that whole chapter page one to fifteen in one sitting, and you are calling me a bad author?

To Anime Albino: Indeed he could have.

To Sinister: I've never heard of someone having a problem with cursing or calling people Bro in typing. Oh well, I guess you learn something new everyday.

To GryphinWyrm: You are more than welcome to use Dark Magic Nova, so long as you properly attribute it.

To The Real Agent Smith: Nope, you guessed incorrectly.


	7. Balance and Flames

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 7: Balance and Flames

_Rykiel slid a card into his disk. "Go Flames of Hell. This magic card requires that I sacrifice a monster on my field." The Dark Judge roared in pain and burst into flames. "When I do so, I may special summon Master of Inferno; Diablo (2000/1700) in attack mode!" A red-skinned devil holding a spiked whip appeared on the field. "And when summoned to the field Diablo immediately activates an equipment magic card from my deck called Necrowhip." Removing a card from his deck, the demon inserted it into his disk. In the hands of Diablo a whip made of red muscle tissue appeared._

_Rikuo felt sweat slide down his face. ("That card lets Diablo revive as many monsters from his graveyard as he has empty monster spaces each turn…")_

_Roaring in rage, Diablo cracked the whip onto the ground. There was an explosion of fire as four forms rose up out of the ground._

_Rykiel looked his new field over. "Dark Salamander, Dark Judge, Jinzo, and a monster that I discarded that is known as Dark Cerberus." (2800/2000) A huge three-headed wolf appeared on the field behind all of the revived monsters. "This creature has the special ability that makes it the only monster you can attack as long as it is in play."_

_Rikuo didn't like these odds. Now he was stuck with one useless card in his hand and staring down not only five impossibly strong monsters, but his own Jinzo as well. ("Which means that I can't activate traps.")_

_Rykiel glanced over at Diablo and then at each of his assembled monsters. "This is more than enough attack power to kill you next turn. End turn, since Diablo prevents me from attacking the turn it is summoned."_

_Rikuo stood there, suddenly unsure what to do. ("I should have expected this…I mean, this guy is the culmination of both my skill and Jourgen's….") His lips lifted just a tiny bit. ("Finally, someone to force me past my own limits.")_

Rykiel waited patiently for his opponent to move.

Rikuo met the demon's gaze and snickered. "Let's see what I can pull out of my hat, shall we?" He drew. "Card of Demise lets me draw cards until I have five in my hand. The only downside is that in five turns I must discard my whole hand." Rikuo snapped four cards off of his deck.

Rykiel closed his eyes. ("Let's see how well you do without the help of your other half.")

Rikuo glanced at all of the cards and smirked. "I sacrifice White Cyber-wolf and Black Cyber-wolf to summon out this!" A humanoid made entirely of gears appeared on his field. "Irios the Steel Monarch (2700/2300) in attack mode! Irios special ability activate! When he is the only attacking monster during the turn he is tribute summoned, his attack doubles!" (5400/2300)

Rykiel opened his eyes. "Perhaps you are better than I thought."

Rikuo pointed at the Cerberus. "Go Irios!" The steel humanoid launched across the field and punched a huge hole through the chest of the monster.

Rikuo- 2100

Rykiel- 1500

"End turn." Rikuo held up the four cards in his hand and smirked. "It looks like the advantage is mine, eh?"

"Not quite, or did you forget something?" Rykiel drew. "Necrowhip special ability go!" The ground behind him exploded and the form of the Cerberus returned. (2800/2000) "I can use Necrowhip every turn."

Rikuo made a strangled choking noise…

Rykiel pointed at Irios. "I overestimated your power. Die, Rikuo Amero." The Cerberus opened its three jaws and released a triple blast of fire that blew Irios apart.

Rikuo- 2000

Rykiel- 1500

Rykiel slid a card into his disk. "Today must be your lucky day, because using Necrowhip prevents me from attacking with more than one monster during that turn. So I set this card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Rikuo drew slowly. ("I can't submit…I'm doing well enough so far.") He looked at the drawn card and slid it into his disk. "Go Junk Dealer! This magic card lets me revive two machine monsters from my graveyard to the field in attack mode with half of their attack points!" A yellow metal tank and a blue and yellow robot appeared on his field. "Be reborn, X-Head Cannon (900/1500) and Z-Metal Tank (750/1300) in attack mode!"

Rykiel already knew what was coming.

Rikuo threw a card onto his disk. "Go Union Supplement (0/0) in attack mode!" A metal sphere appeared on the field in between his two monsters. "This monster can only be used if I have two parts of a three part fusion on the field. I may sacrifice it to special summon out the third piece of that fusion!" The sphere exploded and was replaced by a red mechanical dragon. "Go Y-Dragon Head!" (1500/1600) "And then I fuse these three monsters together with their special ability to create XYZ Dragon Cannon!" (2800/2600) The three machines broke apart and combined into a hover-tank like vehicle. "This creature lets me discard one card from my hand to destroy one card on the field!"

Rykiel didn't look very surprised. "Necrowhip?"

Rikuo nodded as the whip exploded. "And when Necrowhip leaves so does all of the monsters it summoned to the field!" The returned monsters all broke apart into dust. "Now you're Diablo is all alone! Go XYZ Dragon Cannon, Hyper Destruction!" Numerous ports opened up all over the body of the tank, revealing numerous weapons. Each of the weapons started to charge up…

Rykiel pointed to his face-down card. "Go Unholy Calamity. This card activates when my opponent declares an attack again me. It sends all monsters on the field to the graveyard." A wave of black smoke sprayed out of the now face-up card. The smoke swallowed up the field and when it cleared both Diablo and XYZ Dragon Cannon were gone.

Rikuo sucked in his breath and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Rykiel drew. "I play Card of Sanctity!"

Rikuo snarled quietly, his ears flicking in irritation. ("With that effect, we both have to draw until we hold six cards. In his case though…he gets to use those cards all at once, while I have to wait until his turn ends to use mine.") Reaching down, he removed five cards from his deck.

Rykiel held up his new hand. "Amero, I hope your single trap is capable of saving you, because I go on the attack right now!" Grabbing a card from his hand he slapped it onto his disk. "When I draw this monster through the effect of a magic card I may special summon it immediately! Come out Blood Jell!" (0/100) A crimson red blob appeared on the field. "Then I sacrifice this monster to the graveyard so that I can summon Dark Controller!" (2000/2500) A huge-winged demon appeared on his field. "Direct attack!"

Rikuo snickered and snapped his fingers. "Reverse card open! Widespread Ruin is a trap card that destroys the highest attack monster on your field!" An explosion of fire gushed out of the ground and consumed the demon.

Rykiel closed his eyes and slid three cards into his disk. "I set three cards face-down on the field and activate the effect of my Dark Controller! As long as he is in the graveyard I can once per turn activate any magic card in my graveyard! Go Card of Sanctity!" He drew five more cards. "Then I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Rikuo drew. ("As long as Dark Controller is in his graveyard he has the perfect combo to defeat me. I have to either kill that thing or kill him right now!") "I play the magic card Heavy Storm! Since you've been so nice as set up five targets, I can destroy all magic and trap cards on your field!" A huge windstorm started to build…

And then just as quickly died. Rykiel shook his head. "You are pitiful…Imperial Order is a continuous trap that I activated when you played your card. As long as it is in play magic cards are invalid. However, when you declare the activation of your card my Spirit of Balance lets me play one card from my hand. So I'll summon Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode." A three-eyed fur-covered fiend appeared on his field.

Rikuo growled and slapped a card onto his disk. "I'll show you! Go Gold Wind-up Knight (1500/1500) in attack mode!" A gold-colored mechanical knight appeared on his field. "Attack the Sangan now!" Making a couple of clanking noises, the machine charged forwards and slashed the little fiend apart.

Rykiel's lips slightly. "And that's the end for you."

Rikuo narrowed his eyes slightly. "Explain."

"There is no need." Rykiel waved his hand over his field. "I'll let my cards do the explaining for me! Go Deck Devastation Virus and Deck Destruction Virus! These two traps infect my Sangan and then when you destroyed it you infected your hand, field, and deck!"

Rikuo knew the effect of these cards all too well. ("Those two cards force me to discard all cards from my hand and deck, as well as destroy all monsters on my field.") Growling, the wolf demon removed two cards from his hand and his Gold Wind-up Knight, placing them all into his graveyard. Then he went through his deck and emptied it of everything but magic and trap cards. "I set three cards face-down on the field and end my turn."

Rykiel drew. "Why so calm? You no longer have monsters…and with Imperial Order in play magic cards are also unavailable to you. With odds like that victory is impossible. Which reminds me, I must pay 700 life points to keep Imperial Order in play."

Rikuo- 2000

Rykiel- 800

"We'll see," Rikuo had gone emotionless. Now he was taking this duel seriously. ("Darkness Game or not, I'm not losing to you.")

Rykiel held up a card and inserted it into his hand. "When Sangan was destroyed I was allowed to search my deck for one monster card with 1500 or less attack points." Then he slapped a card onto his disk. "I summon Dark Horseman (1800/1900) in attack mode." A centaur in black armor appeared on his field. "Attack now!" It charged forwards and slammed right into Rikuo's chest, sending him stumbling. "End turn."

Rikuo- 200

Rykiel- 800

Rikuo continued to stumble for a few moments….and then started to laugh.

"Is there something you find funny about the fact that you are losing?" The genetically engineered demon was curious now. Very rarely did anyone ever laugh after having his combo used on them.

Rikuo slowly brought his head up and smirked. "You're getting sloppy."

Rykiel narrowed his eyes.

The wolf demon drew. "Magic card activate, Pot of Greed!"

Rykiel actually got a weak chuckle out of that. "Did you forget so quickly that I have Imperial Order in play? With that out you cannot play any magic cards and neither can I."

Rikuo snapped his fingers. "It's a damn shame you are wrong! Go Royal Decree!" One of his face-down cards flipped up. "As long as this card is in play all traps all null and void!"

Rykiel smirked and slid a card into disk. "I play my own Pot of Greed then, since Spirit of Balance is back in effect."

Both of them drew two cards.

Rikuo didn't even need to look at them. ("It's time to go for the jugular.") "Quickplay magic card go! Mystical Space Typhoon destroys your Imperial Order!" A sharp wind blew the trap apart. "Go Card of Sanctity!" He drew six cards, while Rykiel drew none. "Anything you'd care to play in response?"

Rykiel smirked and shook his head.

Rikuo didn't waste any time then. "Go Monster Reborn, reviving XYZ Dragon Cannon!" The hybrid tank appeared on his field.

Rykiel waved his hand over his field. "I activate the magic card Raigeki! This rare card will destroy all monsters on your field!" A thunder bolt fell from the sky and blew the machine monster apart.

Rikuo slid two cards into his disk. "Reverse card open! Activating my Emergency Provisions quickplay magic card lets me sacrifice magic and trap cards on my field to raise my life points by 1000 per card! I sacrifice the two I just set and the Royal Decree!" All three cards exploded and Rikuo's life points launched upwards.

Rikuo- 3200

Rykiel- 800

"Life point gain won't help you for long." Rykiel passed on doing anything in response to that.

Rikuo slammed a card into his disk. "I play the magic card Premature Burial! At the cost of 800 life points I revive one monster from my graveyard! Be reborn, my mighty Irios!" The Steel Monarch reappeared on the field.

Rikuo- 2400

Rykiel- 800

Rykiel threw a card into his graveyard. "Trap card Power Wave activates! This triggers when you summon a monster. All cards on the field will be destroyed, unless we discard cards to save them at a one to one ratio!" He discarded two cards to save his two.

Rikuo frowned and discarded one card. His XYZ Dragon Cannon exploded into dust.

Rykiel raised an eyebrow. "So that face-down card is worth more to you than a powerful monster?"

Rikuo's frown faded. "Activate the magic card Exchange of Soul! This card switches our graveyards until the end of the turn!"

Rykiel held up a card form his hand. "I know your plan. I play the magic card Reviving from a Crisis! When played this card lets you draw two cards and lets me pick up one monster from my graveyard!" He removed a card from his graveyard and held it up for Rikuo to see. "Dark Controller will not be used by you. I have far too many useful magic cards in my graveyard."

Growling, Rikuo drew twice. "I'm not finished yet!" He slid two cards into his disk. "If I can't draw cards thanks to you then I'll just use Exchange of Soul in a different way! I activate the magic card Capture Nanites! This card lets me revive as many of your machine monsters as I can from your graveyard."

"So you'll get back Jinzo? It doesn't matter, because that magic card summons the monsters in defense mode and they can't attack anyway." Rykiel blinked a couple of times as he saw the combo.

Rikuo smirked and held up five cards. "Exchange of Soul switched our graveyards for the turn, so I have more than enough fuel for this fire!" He slid the cards across his disk. "Irios, Gold Wind-up Knight, Black Cyber-wolf, White Cyber-wolf, and Machine King all return to my field in defense mode!" The five called monsters appeared on his field in crouching positions.

"That card only keeps these new monsters in play for one turn. Then they return to the graveyard. And since you have no monsters left in your deck you can't have any in your hand." Rykiel's logic was sound.

But Rikuo was never one to believe that logic always worked. "I activate the magic card Monster Reincarnation! By discarding one card from my hand I can pick up any monster in my graveyard. And my target, since your graveyard is mine until the end of the turn, is Jinzo!" Grabbing his best monster, Rikuo slid Machine King into the graveyard. "Then I sacrifice my monster to summon Jinzo out! Come forth, my mightiest monster!" The green-armored form of Jinzo reappeared on the field and chuckled coldly. (2400/1500)

Rykiel held up a card from his hand. "In response I activate the magic card Reverse Effect. This negates the effect of Capture Nanites and sends all monsters brought out through that effect back into the graveyard." All four of the remaining monsters disappeared. "Then I play Necromancy! This magic card lets me revive monsters from your graveyard to the field in defense mode. Since you have my graveyard, I'll be reviving these random monsters now!" Four random monsters appeared on Rikuo's field. "Then I play the magic card Crumbling Defenses! This destroys all defense mode monsters on the field!" All of Rikuo's new monsters were blown apart. "And when a monster revived by Necromancy is destroyed then your monster will lose 600 points!" (0/1500)

Rikuo blinked and growled angrily. "You're cheating! Where did the Dark Controller go?"

Rykiel held up his deck. "When returned to my hand or field from the graveyard Dark Controller is sent into my deck and I draw one card."

Rikuo stood there, and then smiled slightly. ("I was so close…I almost had him…") "End turn."

Rykiel drew. "I take back what I thought about you, Rikuo Amero. I thought you were good enough to go all the way and defeat me on your own. Now I know the truth…and I dislike what I see." His hand flipped the drawn card over. "I activate the magic card Dark Charge. This magic card raises the attack power of my monster by its defense points, though it will be destroyed at the end of the turn. Go Dark Horseman!" (3700/1900) The black-covered Centaur charged and ran Jinzo through, blowing it apart.

Rikuo- 0

Rykiel- 800

Rikuo felt the backlash of Jinzo's death hit him like a hammer blow. He fell to his knees and dropped the single card in his hand to the dirt.

Rykiel wasn't smiling…in fact, he seemed enraged. "I thought you could finally show me that I could be defeated in a fair battle. But no…all you did was prove to me that I have no equal…and for that I will make you pay!"

Rikuo felt little tingles in the air and he grimaced. ("This was a darkness game…but much more subtle. The energy was meant to be stealthy…I guess they didn't want Jourgen to feel this energy and show up to interfere.") He raised his chin defiantly and stood up so that he was face to face with Rykiel. "By all means, send my soul into the dark abyss. I'll find my way back and teach you a lesson in manners."

With lightning speed Rykiel grabbed Rikuo by the neck and squeezed tightly. "Actually…I have something far crueler in mind for the prideful likes of you, Amero."

-

Daniel glanced over at the door to Ichigo's room as it slowly opened. "Hello?"

"Hi!" Sammy poked her head in. "Is Ichigo awake?"

"Yeah…" Said half-demon groaned quietly and propped himself up.

Grinning, the girl walked in. Following her was Ashley, who was close to literally dragging Eri into the room as well. "We just came by to thank you for saving us from that guy."

Ichigo grinned and gave them the victory sign. "Hey, I'm a hero. It's what I do."

Ashley looked over the numerous bandages that were applied to the half-demon's body and frowned. "Who did this to you anyway?"

Ichigo went silent and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Well…heheheh….Mr. Amero."

Both Sammy and Ashley looked over at Eri.

The demoness blushed slightly. "I didn't tell him to do it."

"Then why are you blushing?" Sammy prodded.

Ichigo suddenly became very interested in the ceiling fan.

Daniel just smiled and looked out the window again. ("Ah, my son the lady killer.")

Before either of the girls could press the two for answers, a knock came from the door. "Excuse me, is Professor Pilkington in?"

Daniel slid out of his seat and walked over to the door. "Yes?"

"Well, we had security check out this reported disturbance and found this guy on the site. I was wondering if maybe you knew who he belonged to?"

Daniel opened the door and poked his head out. "Who is…OH DEAR GOD!"

Everyone in the room stared at Daniel's back for a few moments, and then the half wolf-demon passed out and fell to the ground so that they had a clear view of what was outside. What they saw didn't really register as strange to Sammy, Ichigo or Ashley. For Eri though, she looked like she was about to pass out herself.

Right outside the door there was a nurse holding onto a sleeping young boy of maybe about seven or eight years old. This boy had a head-full of messy raven-black hair and golden-amber eyes. On top of his head was a pair of small little wolf ears of the same color.

-

"So did you deal with your business?" Ken crossed his arms across his chest and watched as Rykiel approached the dark grove where they had landed the helicopter.

"Though I would have preferred to have killed him, I did as Chaos ordered and came up with a more creative punishment." Snickering, the genetically-engineered demon held up his trophy, which was a black leather jacket with a wolf's head embroidered on the back. "Perhaps by the time Amero reaches a dueling age he can defeat me. If not…oh well."

Ken tapped a feet a couple of times against and tree stump he was sitting on. "And now we wait for Basil to finish his job."

"I've got nothing but time on my hands," Rykiel sat down cross-legged and went into a deep meditation. There was one other being that he still had to defeat before he could truly be satisfied. ("That being isn't far though, so I'm in no hurry to start my hunt.")

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: For those of you who are confused about Rykiel, keep in mind that he is originally from the Reunion Arc.

To Seeker of the Soul: He isn't supposed to be amazingly brilliant. It doesn't need to be.

To Adriel: I bet you miss a lot, don't you?

To Isumo: This guy came from a certain man who I will not mention because it isn't important for you to know. As for the cloning? Keep in mind not every enemy just flat-out challenges our heroes face-to-face. Sometimes they need time to prepare.

To Hogwarts-Knight: Go back and count the number of Seals Midnight talked about.

To Mario: If you mean the chain-letter ones it is because I sorta dislike those.

To whitewolf: In the next chapter your wish will be my command.

To Bobbomp: Three? Who are these three, for I must kill them.

To Anime Albino: I've been smoking the finest Cuban cigars.

To Chaos Anubis: Uhuh….I suppose you are welcome to your opinion about Rykiel.


	8. The Knight of Life

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 8: The Knight of Life

"Ashley! Stop poking my father's ears!" Eri growled and flexed her claws across the bed that Ichigo had abandoned for Rikuo.

"But they're so cute!" The blond-haired girl giggled as the little wolf ears flicked each time she poked them. Rikuo was still unconscious, but he wasn't injured otherwise.

Daniel wondered if it was too late to start drinking. "At least now he'll start acting his age."

"Take that back!" Eri somehow lunged across the room and pulled Daniel's face just a few inches from hers in less than a second.

Daniel's eyes slowly traveled down to her hands, which had his suit bunched up within them. Then he gave her the coldest stare he had given anyone in his entire life. "This suit is my nice business suit. You're currently wrinkling the collar of my nice business suit."

Ashley and Sammy both had their attention on the two now. They'd never heard Professor Pilkington ever speak to anyone like this before.

Ichigo, who was almost completely recovered from most of his wounds, had his eyes wide and looked like he was about to throw himself out the window. He'd once made the mistake of damaging his father's good suit. Though no physical violence had been involved with that situation, he'd quite literally wanted to shrivel up and die after all had been said and done.

A few seconds passed and Daniel's voice picked up again. "I see your hands are still wrinkling my nice business suit." The soft brown color of his eyes turned a violent red color. "Take your hands off the suit, now."

Eri didn't even realize she did what he said until she held her hand fall to her side.

Standing slowly, Daniel brushed himself off and glared at Eri. "I'm going to go get Ryu and see if he can help us out. All of you will stay here and make sure that Rikuo doesn't destroy anything if he freaks out."

-

Kenshin Anderson had always developed his father's innate ability to wander without any purpose. Even on a beautiful day like today he would somehow manage to disappear from the eyes of everyone and take in the sights of the island without ever being found.

Smiling at the sweet smells that reached his nose, the Crusader stretched his arms and felt all of his muscles pull tightly for a few moments. ("I love the feeling of the air on my ears. And to think that I live on this beautiful planet without a care in the world. My life is good. I have a good woman, my own strength and accomplishments…and someone out there my ultimate target waits for me to reach him.")

Long ago, he had seen his father battle during the World Tournament. During that time he had seen the man that he thought was invincible meet his match. ("Rikuo Amero…and you've been here all this time. Unlike Erika Amero's insane grudges, I do not plan to destroy you. However…before I can face my father on the field of battle I must test your strength out for myself.")

His lips curled into a weak smile. ("However…you far overshadow me in not just skill, but power. Your deck is the deck of a champion, with monsters such as the mighty Steel Wolf General that destroyed the creature I thought was my father's undefeatable monster.") Though he had been young, he remembered that entire duel all too well.

-

"_Rikuo!" Deondre held up his hand and pointed right at the wolf demon from across the field. "I know you're here and you think that the final duel of this tournament will be between you and Daniel."_

_Rikuo didn't respond. He just smiled slightly._

_Deondre smiled slightly as well. "However…" His disk clicked into position and the thousands of people watching them in the stands went silent. "I have every intention of facing him. And unlike most, I fully understand what you can do with your deck. That's why I have been working hard to surpass your deck's power." He lifted his arm to hold the face of his deck pointing towards the wolf demon. "This is the result of years of work. The power of my Dimension Command deck will defeat you. Just you wait and see!"_

"_Keh!" Rikuo clicked his disk into place. "We'll see just how tough you are, won't we? After all…I've never had the pleasure of facing you directly. So, give me the pleasure of showing you the flaws in your so-called 'mighty' deck."_

-

"_Give it up Rikuo, I've got you locked down. With the current monsters I have on my field there is nothing you can do but let me remove your monsters from play and gain 500 life points every time I do it." Deondre smirked just enough to show that he understood all too well that Rikuo wouldn't win now._

_After all, he had three cards in his hand. Also, there were two set cards on his field and his Soul Absorption magic card in play as well. That with the fact that he had his greatest monster, the Dark Magician of Chaos in play, gave him the perfect advantage. "After all, so far I've removed both your Wolf Demon Lord and Jinzo from play."_

_Rikuo only had one card in his hand and one card face-down on his field. His face was dead-serious now. "Ore no time…draw." He slowly slid a card off of his deck._

_Deondre didn't understand what Rikuo had just said. It had been a while since he'd ever heard anyone speak in Japanese before. ("I think he said that it was his turn…")_

_Rikuo looked at the drawn card. "Mahou kado O hatsudo! Inochiketsuri No Housatsu!" Holding up the card, Rikuo slid it into his graveyard and drew four cards._

_("Card of Demise…") Deondre didn't feel quite so confident about his lock anymore._

_Holding up his new hand, Rikuo grasped one card and slid it into his disk. "Sara ni mahou kado O hatsudo! Kou Yuku Na Tsubo!"_

_("And Pot of Greed?") Deondre felt Rikuo's momentum building, and he didn't like it one bit._

_Drawing two cards, the wolf demon pointed down at the set card on his field. "Trap kado O hatsudo!" The card flipped up to reveal one of the few faces that Deondre didn't want to see right now._

_("Reverse of Reverse…which lets him use any face-down card on my field as his own.")_

_Rikuo pointed at the center card and it flipped up, revealing Return from the Different Dimension. "Jinzo Ningen Psycho Shocker sara ni Okami Demon Lord shookan!" Both the Wolf Demon Lord and Jinzo shimmered onto the field. "Sara ni Yuukou O hatsudo! Tetsu no Okami Lord shookan!" The two monsters were pulled into a swirling vortex of energy and the being that emerged looked like the Wolf Demon Lord covered in the armor of Jinzo._

_From his seat in the audience, Kenshin's eyes widened. ("What an amazing monster…its attack points are so high…")_

_Rikuo smirked slightly. "I always feel better when I talk a bit of Japanese. It helps remind me of what I am, after all. Go Steel Wolf General, attack!"_

_-_

Kenshin frowned at the memory. ("That wasn't the end of the duel, but it certainly didn't look great for my father after that part. Before I can ever say that I am truly the best, I must defeat both my father and Rikuo Amero.")

-

Basil frowned and looked down from his perch at Kenshin. ("May as well see if this guy has the necessary power to trigger the Seal.") Reaching into his pocket, he removed a small bracelet covered with numerous multi-colored jewels. Holding the item up to his face, he started to speak quietly. "Power of Chaos, hear my call. Awaken the death that rests in this item and release the capture soul that rests within. As per the pact, if this soul can defeat who I tell him to, then he will be free."

Light shimmered out of the bracelet and the area around Kenshin was immediately swallowed up by shadows.

-

Kenshin's eyes glanced back and forth slowly, and then he frowned. "A Darkness Game? Interesting indeed…." He already knew the program. Reaching down, he picked up his disk and slid it onto his arm. "This is very strange…why would a Darkness Game form around me?"

"Because you have been challenged by me," A tired voice spoke though the shadow. "Now let the dueling begin. I am Thaun, the duelist of the grave. Long ago I was defeated by a group of hooligans calling themselves the Chaos Riders. Now I am their prisoner until I can defeat a duelist, and then that defeated duelist will take my place. So now prepare yourself, because I will not lose." The being that emerged from the shadows was an old man in rotted brown clothing. He looked more like a drifter than a high-level duelist.

Thaun- 4000

Kenshin- 4000

Kenshin didn't fully understand why this was happening, but he knew what he had to do. "You may start then, since you seem so determined to win."

Thaun lifted his deck and drew. "Tell me…do you believe in life after death?"

"I believe that the dead should stay dead. They have had their time in this dimension and that is all they need."

"That is such a shame, because I believe quite the contrary." Thaun slid a card into his disk. "And I set a monster in defense mode. End turn."

("Was that whole question nothing but a method of keeping me off-guard…or was it something relevant?") Kenshin drew. "It matters not! Go Queen's Knight!" (1500/1600) A woman in knight's armor appeared on the field. "Attack now!" She launched forwards and slashed the defense monster in half.

Thaun's shoulders heaved slightly. "Fool. You destroyed my Pyramid Turtle (1200/1400) and its effect lets me special summon one undead sub-type monster from my deck to the field. So I'll take my Vampire Lord (2000/1500) and special summon it out." A blue-skinned man in strange black clothing appeared on the field. "This monster possesses the power of Undeath in its best form. Prepare to lose."

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Kenshin slid a card into his disk. "I set this and end my turn."

Thaun drew. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon! Now your set card will be destroyed!" A sharp wind blew the set card apart. "Also, I summon out Demon Butcher (1600/600) to the field!" A blue-skinned devil holding onto a huge knife appeared on the field. "Attack now!" Screeching, it leapt through the air and cut the Queen's Knight in half. "When my monster destroys another creature the destroyed creature is removed from the game and I draw one card!" Snapping a card off of his deck, he then pointed at Kenshin. "Vampire Lord, attack his life points directly!" Smirking, the blue-skinned vampire launched forwards and swept its cloak across Kenshin's face.

Thaun- 4000

Kenshin- 1900

"And that isn't all, because when Vampire Lord damages your life points I may call one card type and you must discard a card of that type from your deck. So I'll call trap." Thaun and the Vampire Lord both continued to smirk while Kenshin discarded a card into his graveyard. "Finally, I end my turn."

Kenshin closed his eyes. ("This man is good. But like all people…I will surpass him!") He drew. "I discard one warrior monster from my hand to activate the effect of Quickdraw Samurai!" (200/300) A little warrior in samurai's armor appeared on his field. "By discarding a warrior this monster can special summoned. Then I play the magic card Premature Burial! At the cost of 800 life points I'll revive the monster I discarded, which is Axe-Wielding Knight!" (1700/1150) A burled armor-covered knight wielding a huge battle-axe appeared on the field.

Thaun- 4000

Kenshin- 1100

"Don't you think that you are running out of life points?" Thaun snickered slightly, and the Vampire Lord mirrored the action.

Kenshin held up another hand card. "Activate Emblem of Dragon Destroyer! This magic card lets me move Buster Blader from my deck or graveyard to my hand!" Removing a card from his deck he slapped it down. "Then I sacrifice Axe-Wielding Knight and Quickdraw Samurai to summon Buster Blader!" (2600/2300) A tall armored warrior with a huge two-handed sword appeared on the field.

Thaun gritted his teeth. ("Vampire Lord's special ability only revives it from effects, not battle.")

"Buster Blader, attack the Vampire Lord!" Kenshin pointed at the Vampire Lord and his sword-wielding warrior charged.

"Trap card open!" Thaun's face-down card flipped up and a white ghost wrapped around his Demon Butcher. "This trap card redirects your attack to my Demon Butcher instead of Vampire Lord." The warrior veered in mid-charged and slashed through the demon.

Thaun- 3000

Kenshin- 1100

Frowning, the Crusader slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field. End turn."

Thaun drew and then his smirked returned. "Now I know that I cannot take any chances with you, boy. From my hand I play Pot of Greed." He drew two more cards. "Now I play this magic card! Go Tribute to the Doomed! By discarding one card from my hand I can destroy one monster on your field!" An explosion of mummy wrappings tied up the Buster Blader and dragged it out of sight. "Vampire Lord, direct attack!" The black-cloaked monster sneered and with a wave of his hand released a scythe of dark light that hurtled towards Kenshin.

Kenshin motioned to his face-down card. "Go Mirror Force! This trap card will negate your attack and destroy your monster!" A glowing barrier of light sprang up, blocked the attack, and then reflected it back at its owner. In a few seconds the Vampire Lord was no more.

Licking his lips, Thaun slid a card into his disk. "Continuous magic card activate! Call of the Mummy can once per turn let me special summon an undead monster from my hand if I have no creatures in play. Go Master Kyonshee!" (1750/1000) A blue-robed monk-like creature with an ofuda stuck to its forehead appeared on the field. "Then I set one card face-down and one monster as well. End turn."

Kenshin drew slowly. ("Vampire Lord's special ability will let him return it to the field at his standby phase….I mustn't let that happen.") "Go Card of Sanctity!"

Grimacing, Thaun drew six cards.

Kenshin held up another card. "Pot of Greed go!" He drew twice. "Then I play Monster Reborn to revive Buster Blader!" The warrior reappeared on his field. "Go Fallen Knight!" (1800/1500) A warrior in pitch-black armor wielding a pair of toothed scimitars appeared on the field. "Go Buster Blader, attack Kyonshee now!" The warrior roared out a battle cry and charged.

Thaun motioned to his set card. "Shield of Dead Spirits go! This trap lets me remove an undead or demon monster from my graveyard to negate your attack." A wall of white ectoplasm sprang up and stopped the attack.

Kenshin pointed at Kyonshee again. "Go Fallen Knight!" The dark warrior smoothly leapt forward and cut the zombie in half. "Then I set three cards face-down on the field. End turn."

Thaun- 2950

Kenshin- 1100

Thaun drew. "Vampire Lord returns to my field at my standby phase when he is destroyed as the result of an effect." The black-cloaked monster reappeared in play. "Then I play Magic Shard Excavation! This magic card lets me discard two cards from my hand to select one magic card in my graveyard and pick it back up." Holding up the card, he discarded it and another card. "Then I replay Tribute to the Doomed." Another explosion of mummy wrappings launched up and buried the Buster Blader.

Kenshin closed his eyes and bowed his head. ("Forgive me, Buster Blader.")

"Go Vampire Lord!" Thaun's monster leapt forward and slashed the Fallen Knight in half. "You monster is gone and I call trap!"

Thaun- 2950

Kenshin- 900

Kenshin discarded another trap card from his deck and slowly opened his eyes. "Trap card go! Mirage Warriors! This trap card can only activate if all monsters on my field are destroyed during a battle phase because of battle! Return Fallen Knight!" The dark knight shimmered back into existence. "Also, in response I activate the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Shield of Dead Spirits!" An explosion of wind blew the trap card apart. "And in response to that I play Emergency Provisions! This quickplay magic card will let me sacrifice all magic and trap cards on my field besides itself to gain 1000 life points per card!" Mystical Space Typhoon and Mirage Warriors disappeared.

Thaun- 2950

Kenshin- 2900

Thaun frowned and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field and set one monster in defense mode. End turn."

Kenshin drew. "I set one card face-down and order Fallen Knight to attack your defense mode monster." The dark-armored warrior leapt across the field and slashed one of the set monsters apart.

Holding it up, Thaun smirked. "Another Pyramid Turtle. So I'll special summon another undead monster with 2000 or less defense points from my deck to the field." Taking a card from his deck, the man slapped it down. "Come out now, Dragon Zombie Infused!" (2400/2000) A rotted dragon appeared on his field. "This monster gains 1000 attack points when it battles against a light monster!"

Kenshin had expected as much. "I go to my second main phase. First I'll set one card face-down on the field. Then I'll play the magic card Driving Memories. This magic card will let me shuffle one light attribute monster from my hand into my deck to pick up a different light monster from my removed from play pile or graveyard. So I'll shuffle King's Knight (1600/1500) into my deck and pick up Queen's Knight! Then I'll summon her to the field in defense mode!" The female knight appeared on his field in a crouching position. "End turn!"

Thaun drew. "You're nearly defeated, and then you'll take my place in this hell. Go Vampire Lord, attack the Fallen Knight now!" The vampire waved his hand and another scythe of dark light cut the warrior in half. "So discard another trap card from your deck and we can continue."

Thaun- 2950

Kenshin- 2700

Kenshin smirked and motioned to his face-down card. "Go Knights of the Round! This trap card lets me pay half of my life points when a knight is destroyed in battle to let me special summon three more knights from my deck, as long as they are level four or lower!" He removed four cards from his disk and slapped the first one down. "First I special summon King's Knight in defense mode! When this monster is summoned to the field and Queen's Knight is in play then I can special summon one Jack's Knight from my deck to the field!" A bearded warrior in yellow armor and a young-looking warrior in blue armor appeared in crouching positions on both sides of Queen's Knight.

Thaun- 2950

Kenshin- 1350

Kenshin threw down two more monsters. "Then I special summon two Gearfried the Iron Knights (1800/1600) in defense mode!"

Growling at the fact that he suddenly had five monsters to deal with, Thaun pointed at Jack's Knight. "Zombie Death!" Opening its jaws, the Dragon Zombie Infused released a cloud of black smoke that destroyed the warrior. "I set one monster in defense and end my turn."

Kenshin calmed his breathing. ("I cannot defend for much longer…so I must figure out some way to fight back.") "Draw!" He looked at the new card and slid it into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Thaun drew. "I sacrifice my two face-down monsters to summon Despair From the Dark!" (2800/3000) A towering dark shape rose up out of the ground and started to let out a booming laughter that shook the field. "Go now, my monsters! Destroy them all!" Each of his three monsters launched forwards and destroyed all of Kenshin's monsters but his Queen's Knight. "One of the monster's I sacrificed was Sangan (1000/600) so I'll search my deck for a monster with 1500 or less attack points." Adding a card from his deck to his hand, he licked his lips. "I can taste my freedom. End turn."

"All you can taste is my life gain!" Kenshin's face-down card flipped up. "Go Sacrifice of the Fallen Knights! This quickplay magic card lets me gain life points equal to the attack points of all monsters with knight in their title that have been destroyed because of battle this turn!" A white glow surrounded him.

Thaun- 2950

Kenshin- 6500

Kenshin looked down at his deck. ("This is my last chance…if I can't recover now then I truly am finished. His hand touched the card and he felt tingles of energy run through his arm. ("I feel your power. It is you. For all this time you have been sleeping in my deck, but now you wish to fight.") His lips curled and he drew. "Very well, you may fight. I sacrifice a light monster and a dark monster from my graveyard!"

("A light and dark monster from his graveyard?") Thaun knew of only a few cards that had that requirement.

Kenshin held up Jack's Knight and Fallen Knight. "These two leave play…and their sacrifice summons this! Come out, Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning!" (3000/2500) A blue-armored magnificent warrior appeared on his field. It slowly raised its helmet and looked at the three zombie monsters with disgust in its eyes. "I agree, my friend. Let's clear this trash off of our island!" The Soldier's sword started to glow. "Black Luster Soldier special ability activates! This will remove your Dragon Zombie Infused from play!"

"Are you so sure?" Thaun snickered and his face-down card flipped up. "Darkness of the Grave will seal your monster's power away permanently. I know all too well what the Black Luster Soldier can do, and now he can no longer remove a monster on the field from play."

Kenshin gritted his teeth and pointed at the Vampire Lord. "He has more powers than that! Go Soldier!" The warrior leapt forward and slashed the vampire in half. "Attack Despair from the Dark!" With no effort the warrior turned on his heel and slashed the towering shadow apart as well. "When Black Luster Soldier destroys a monster as a result of battle he can attack again. However…now I end my turn."

Thaun- 1750

Kenshin- 6500

Thaun drew. "Nice try, but I won't let myself lose to that creature's power again."

"Again?" Kenshin echoed.

Thaun shook his head slightly and set a card onto his disk. "I set one monster in defense mode and order Dragon Zombie Infused to attack the Black Luster Soldier!" Opening its jaws, the dead dragon sprayed the chaos warrior with a black smoke that instantly destroyed him. (3400/2000)

Thaun- 1750

Kenshin- 6100

Thaun chuckled. "End turn. Let's see you win without that card under your control."

For the first time in a long while, Kenshin felt pain. ("My father's gift…it fell.") That card had been given to him by his father, and for it to fall so easily…

Thaun frowned. "Draw or surrender."

Kenshin's thoughts went from sad to angry. "You will pay! Draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck and his eyes widened. ("What is this?") Then it occurred to him that this wasn't the time to question. "I sacrifice my Queen's Knight to summon out this creature! Awaken…Silver Knight of Purity!" (2300/1700) A warrior appeared on the field. This creature was unlike any other warrior though, and that was because its pure-silver armor gave off a radiance of peace and tranquility.

"Silver Knight of Purity?" Thaun felt some kind of energy coming from this new creature that was damaging the darkness around them.

Kenshin nodded and pointed at the Dragon Zombie Infused. "Go!" Lifting its sword, the knight charged.

"You fool, your monster will lose!"

"Are you so certain?" Kenshin, his expression dead serious, held up a card from his graveyard. "Silver Knight of Purity special ability go! By removing one light monster from my graveyard, I can seal the effect of your monster." A yellow glowing seal appeared on the forehead of the dragon.

"It doesn't matter, because my father is obviously stronger!" Thaun snickered as his Dragon Zombie opened its jaws. "Prepare for the end."

Kenshin closed his eyes and smirked. "You think the card I am holding is the monster I am removing from the graveyard for the seal effect? Actually…" He flipped the card over to reveal the Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning. "Silver Knight of Purity special ability number two go! By removing a warrior from my graveyard I can give its attack and powers to my knight!" (3000/2500) The knight slashed downwards and cut the dragon in half.

Thaun- 1150

Kenshin- 6100

Thaun stumbled slightly, but quickly recovered. "Attacking again won't help, since my other monster is face-down and in defense!"

"Wrong," Kenshin pointed at the set card and it flipped up to reveal a reaper in purple robes. "Spirit Reaper (300/200) eh? I suppose that makes sense. But the effect of Silver Knight of Purity forces all monsters that battle it to go into attack mode for the fight!" The warrior slashed through the reaper. "Though your monster isn't destroyed, your life points are finished."

Thaun- 0

Kenshin- 6100

Thaun went silent and dissipated into the air. All around Kenshin the darkness faded away as well.

Smiling slightly, Kenshin shuffled his deck and walked away with a slight smile on his face. He wasn't going to question how the Silver Knight of Purity got into his deck. Very rarely did he wonder about the source of a benefit.

-Basil stood and stretched. "Bloody finally. I thought I was going to have to take a nap."

-

Eri and Ichigo sat across from each other in the hospital room. Sammy and Ashley had both gone to bring the group back some food. Neither of them spoke. They just watched each other warily.

Finally Ichigo broke the silence. "Listen…um….about what you did before…"

The demoness closed her eyes and seemed uninterested in the current conversation topic, though Ichigo could see the fact that the insides of her ears were glowing bright red.

Ichigo frowned slightly and swallowed his fear. "I promise never to speak or think of it again, if you want me to. After all, only the two of us were there at the time!" A quiet yawn from the bed brought his fear back. "Well…your father was there too. I'm sure he'd be glad if we never spoke of it again though."

Eri's breath was so erratic, at least to her own ears. ("Could it be possible that I actually care? He's just an insolent hanyou that I could just as easily kill….right?") She hated it when she couldn't decide how to handle a situation.

_("Let me ask you something.")_

Eri's heart stopped for a few seconds. The concept of a voice in her head immediately brought back memories of Negative.

_("It's Ahran, in case you were wondering.")_ The voice of her half-brother continued to speak in her head. _("I know that this is cheating, but let me offer you into a little insider info about what Ichigo is thinking right now.")_

The honorable part of Eri wanted to tell Ahran to get out of her head and leave her alone. However, that part of her wasn't paying attention. ("…..")

Ahran took that as she wanted to know. _("I can't say for sure whether or not he loves you, because a feeling like love doesn't apply to girls yet. At least not in the same way that Ichigo loves dueling, etc. However…he deeply cares about you and wants to make sure that you are safe. I'm quite sure that this isn't new information to you, but allow me to put all of this into context for you. Amongst the things that he has been thinking about in the last week, you are at the foremost. His strategies as a duelist…his love of his father and friends…all of it was shadowed by one simple thing, you.")_ Then Ahran's prescense disappeared in her head.

Now Eri's eyes were open…and she stared into Ichigo's eyes with a mix of pain and appreciation. Her anger towards him was gone for now, and instead her hate was focused inwards. ("After all of the horrible things I did to him…he still cares about me. How could I have been so cruel?") Then she realized he had been talking all of this time, rambling onwards…

"And therefore, I think you should not kill me for accepting the kiss." Ichigo was talking out of his ass at the moment, but it seemed to be working. She looked to be moved. ("Now for the final blow.") If there was one thing that the half-demon knew would work, it was his special pity play. That's right; he put on the puppy-dog eyes.

Eri blinked as she was being given a look that both Ashley and Sammy would simply melt over. It didn't have that affect on her though. In her eyes…he looked like he was trying to impersonate his Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh.

"So what do you say?" Ichigo truly looked to the entire world like a puppy who was begging to the best of his ability.

Eri's hand snapped out and grabbed him by the collar. Her eyes shimmered pure gold in the light, with all of the crimson that normally tinged them gone. "Shut up, stupid." A short tug later and he was suddenly moving face-first towards her.

("We're gonna….") He didn't even realize that he was suddenly no longer in the room until pain spiked through his face.

Eri blinked a few times. She wasn't even sure what she had planned on doing, but it had ended the moment Ichigo disappeared. Slowly her eyes turned over to look at where the hospital bed had been. It was no longer there. And her father was awake.

"I'm out for a few hours and wake up to you two at it again!" The little wolf demon's rage faded as he heard his voice. "Eh?" Then he blinked widely as he realized that his daughter quite literally towered over him. "………."

Eri crouched down so that she was eye to eye with Rikuo. "Dad…please don't freak out."

Amazingly, Rikuo just closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Please tell me that you had one huge growth spurt." He silently cringed with each word that came out of his mouth. His voice was never so high-pitched.

"No…let me explain." He mouth opened and she started to speak.

Rikuo heard her loud and clear, but now his mind was focused towards one thing. ("Rykiel….you will lose your throat to my claws….I swear it.")

-

Terra growled down at the hole in the side of the building. ("Did you have to throw the whole damned bed at the boy? You nearly hit me in the process!") He let it slide though, because nothing was more approving for him than to see the high and mighty Rikuo Amero as a little child.

Then he sensed it. It was something like a flux in the energies of the darkness realm. ("Someone is trying to be a stealthy bastard and enter this world undetected. It's a damn shame that whoever they are didn't expect another thief of the darkness to be anywhere nearby.") Slowly the wolf demon stood up from his perch in the tree and leapt down. Moments later he was gone. ("I'd better deal with this potential rival now, before things get out of hand.")

_To be continued…_

To Seeker of the Soul: Indeed, and good reviews as well.

To Chaos Anubis: Rykiel is evil like Rikuo is evil. The big difference is that Rykiel doesn't possess morals or honor to weigh him down.

To Adriel: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..I swear I'll sic Snake on you.

To Hogwarts-Knight: Now all this is left is the Seal of Water.

To Cartoon Freak: I work on that when I can't think of things for this.

To Rex: I'm surprised that I never thought of that connection.

To G.O.T. Nick: So well put in so few words.

To Isumo: Read above.

To gohan11: Yes, I made Rikuo a kid. You got a problem with that?

To Agent Smith: BY SPEAKING IN CAPS I WILL NOW MOVE FASTER! NICE THOUGHT PROCESS! BAKA!

To White wolf: I had that entire duel, drawn cards and all, right in front of me while I typed. Irios was blown away by the Cerberus at the start of Rykiel's turn. Then on Rikuo's turn he summoned XYZ Dragon Cannon, destroyed the Necrowhip, and then attacked to walk right into the trap card.


	9. The Earth Thief

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 9: The earth thief

It didn't take Terra long to reach the area where he had felt the life-force. ("You're here….and I have to find out whether you will be a threat to my plans.") The area he had stopped at was a cliff overlooking the ocean. "Come out now…"

"…or you'll what, mutt?" A calm, nearly uncaring voice echoed out from the trees.

Terra felt his blood rise at the sound of the voice. "It's you!" The wolf demon flexed his claws and snarled angry. "Come out coward!"

"Very well, if it will shut you up." A form dropped out of the branches of a nearby tree and landed silently to the ground. Standing slowly, the newcomer revealed a slight figure wrapped in white silk with long silver-white hair and a pair of the same-colored fox ears on top of his head.

Terra's lips curled slightly. "If it isn't the girl among thieves. I'm surprised that you were somehow sent to the darkness realm in the first place, Esmin."

"Esmin Reiner was temporarily delayed," the fox demon flexed his hands and eyed the wolf demon suspiciously. "So when did you get to become so young-looking, Mutt of the Dirt?"

Terra paid the question no mind. "Call me that again and you'll be breathing through your throat." He slowly started to advance…

Until both demon's thief reflexes kicked in and they both leapt aside just in time to avoid a bed that slammed down right where the two of them had been standing.

Esmin took this opportunity to pull a card out of thin air. Snapping it through the shadows, it re-emerged as a pitch-black colored whip. "Unlikely distraction, but it will do. Now then Terra, let's have a little talk." He started to advance forward.

On his own account, Terra was already standing and had his claws ready. "Yes…lets."

They started to move towards each other until…

"Ouch!" Ahran hopped up from the bed and cradled his poor aching skull. ("Father, why did you have to go and do that? Just when Ichigo was nearly fixed you go and knock him unconscious.")

Terra and Esmin both looked at Ahran. Terra gave the boy a look of anger, while Esmin seemed simply indifferent to the fact that someone had just nearly crash-landed onto him.

Terra, on the other hand, was pissed. ("That kid is friends with Rikuo. If he sees me then my cover is blown.") Growling, the wolf demon reached outwards and called upon the power he knew would fix this problem.

Ahran's headache had eased just in time to watch darkness gather around him. "What's this?" He narrowed his eyes and slowly slipped into a state of focused meditation. ("The darkness….so that's it.")

Terra glanced over at Esmin, who was still expression-less. "I challenge you and the little runt to a darkness game. Losers disappear forever."

"My, that is quite forward of you," the fox demon shrugged his shoulders and started to walk away. "I'll be with you in a moment then, let me get myself prepared."

Ahran glared at Terra. "It's you, the thief that has a grudge against my father."

"I have more than a grudge against your father, but that isn't important now." Terra held up his arm and there was a flicker of light as a duel disk appeared. "Get yourself ready for the end. I'm not going to let you give me away to Rikuo."

Ahran disliked dueling in general, but since Ichigo was unconscious he had no choice. Holding his arm out, he felt a surge of energy as a duel disk materialized around his arm. "Fine, I'll destroy you and then there won't be any need to trouble my father."

Esmin casually walked back into view with a duel disk on his arm. "Alright then, since I suppose we're all playing with Soul Decks there's no need to worry about cheating then." His disk clicked into place. "I'm not sure what you are up to, Terra, but I suppose once this duel is done it won't matter, will it?"

"Right." The wolf demon knew that he was in double jeopardy. Both Ahran and Esmin were targeting him, and he was targeting them. That didn't remove the fact that this duel was going to be a three-way match, but he doubted those two were going to choose to attack each other over him. "Let's begin then."

Terra- 4000

Esmin- 4000

Ahran- 4000

Esmin drew. "I believe that a gentleman gets first move. So I'll simply set one monster face-down on the field and two cards down behind it. End turn."

Terra drew. ("In this type of duel none of us can attack during the first turn, but that doesn't mean much. Each of us will be playing it safe, because attacking risks having one opponent tear down your defenses and wipe out your life points with the help of the other player.") Looking at his drawn cards, he nodded slightly. "I'll begin with the continuous magic card Sacred Wealth. As long as this card is in play all duelists now draw two cards from their deck during their turn." He placed a card onto his disk. "I set one monster face-down and end my turn."

Ahran drew twice. ("I'm not sure who to attack, but I had best defeat Terra first. This other demon I have nothing against…") He threw a card down. "I summon Angel of the Sphere (1900/0) in attack mode." A gold-armored angel appeared on the field. "During my standby phase I can special summon out one Defense Angel (0/1500) Token in defense mode. I also set one card face-down. End turn." ("For now, I'll use this monster to defend myself with.")

Esmin drew twice. His eyes slowly closed and he felt the auras of energy around his two opponents. ("The boy's power is note-worthy, but otherwise not worth my time. Terra's energy is, like any good thief's ability, veiled so well I cannot be sure how to handle him.") "For now I will end my turn."

Terra closed his eyes and drew twice. ("Now to show these two fools a taste of my true power.") His face-down monster card disappeared. "I sacrifice my set monster to summon Diabound Carnel (1800/1600) in attack mode." A demon with a snake's head instead of legs appeared on the field. "Then I equip my monster with the magic card Dead Spirit's After-image, which will allow me to special summon a copy of the equipped monster to the field each turn. This token cannot be sacrificed or attack." Another of the snake demons appeared on the field. "Of course…that isn't why I did what I did. Diabound Carnel special ability activates! This monster can equip to any monster on the field and lower its attack points by the attack strength of Diabound Carnel." His hand rose up and pointed at the Angel of Spheres. "My target is there!" The snake demon copy flew across the field and encased the angel in a dark sheath of shadow. (0/0) "Diabound Carnel, attack with Death Spiral!" The real demon charged up a spiral blast of yellow energy within its hands and launched it at the angel.

Ahran motioned to his face-down card. "Radiance Ring activate now! This continuous trap card lets me discard a card from my hand to protect my light monster from death." The spiral blast pounded through the angel and slammed into the boy. "However…" He fell to his knees, the energy nearly drained right out of him. "…battle damage still occurs."

Terra- 4000

Esmin- 4000

Ahran- 2200

Terra shrugged his shoulders and slid a card into his disk. "My monster did its job. So I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ahran's irises contracted for a few moments as he summoned up his strength to stand. ("I will not fall to you!") He slowly came to his feet. "It's time to get rid of that eyesore you call a monster. Angel of the Spheres special ability activates and special summons out a token!" An angel holding a golden shield appeared on the field. "Then I sacrifice these two monsters to call upon one of my best creatures!" Both of the angels disappeared and were replaced by a huge emerald-colored reptilian form. "Crystal Dragon (2750/2750) comes to end your monster's life! Crystal Burst!" The dragon opened its jaws and released a wave of crystalline green energy that tore across the field to tear down Diabound Carnel.

Terra shook his head. "Kids these days need to learn patience. I activate my trap card!" His face-down card flipped up. "This trap is called Dangerous Trap." Taking a card from his hand, the wolf demon held it up. "If you guess what type of card this is, then your attack not only gets through but I take double damage from my monster's destruction. However, if you guess wrong then your monster's attack will be negated and I will draw one card from my deck for every 1000 attack points of your monster."

Ahran frowned. "It's a monster."

Terra flipped the card over to show a green backing. "Wrong. Now I place the card back into my hand and the effect of my trap card triggers!" A spray of barbed chains exploded out of the ground and tore the stream of energy to little glowing ribbons. "Then I draw two cards." He slid two cards off of his disk. "That isn't all though, because I now must play down cards equal to the number I drew." He slid two cards into his disk. "So I set these face-down."

Ahran grimaced at the fact that he had been foiled. "Don't get so cocky. I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Esmin drew calmly. "This is a lot like watching a comedy show. Surprisingly, neither of you have been paying attention. That's a shame, because now I go on the attack." His face-down monster was replaced by a elf in strange living robes. "Fairy King Truesdale (2200/1400) should be enough to wipe out your monsters." The elf charged up a ball of golden energy within its palms. "Die."

Before the ball had even left the monster's hands Terra's face-down card was up. "Mirage Magic negates the attack and gives me life point gain instead." Diabound Carnel turned negative and the attack bounced off of it and slammed into Terra's duel disk, which absorbed the energy instantly.

Terra- 6200

Esmin- 4000

Ahran- 2200

Esmin didn't seem surprised. "It went better than I thought. So I set two cards face-down on the field and end my turn."

Terra drew twice. "Still more of your tricks Kitsune? Oh well, because you're next on the list. First though, I summon out my Diabound Carnel copy." Another shadowy form of the snake demon appeared on the field. "Then I summon Shadow Creator (1800/1500) in attack mode." A black form appeared on the field. "This monster will take one token on my field and fill all of my monster zones with copies of the copy." Two more Diabound Carnel tokens appeared. "Then I play the effect of two of my copies, attaching them to your monsters!" Two of the demons leapt across the field and latched onto Crystal Dragon and Fairy King Truesdale. (950/2750) (400/1400) "Diabound Carnel, get rid of that fairy's fairy! Death Spiral!" The demon charged up another yellow ball of energy that it hurled across the field towards Esmin's monster.

"You are a fool." The fox demon snapped his fingers. "Blood Seeker (0/0) comes out to stop your attack and latch onto your monster."

"Not a chance," Terra motioned to his face-down card. "Because my Mystical Space Typhoon card eliminates your trap monster before it can get its effect off." The Death Spiral continued forwards.

Esmin frowned and snapped his fingers twice. "First I call out Magic Venus." (0/0) A huge Venus fly-trap appeared on his field. "Then I activate my Nature's Lure trap card. Your monster must attack my Magic Venus." The Death Spiral swerved and slammed into the Venus, blowing it apart.

Terra glanced over at Ahran. "Your turn. Go Shadow Creator!" The dark form started to creep along the ground towards the Crystal Dragon.

Ahran motioned to his face-down card. "My trap card Draining Shield will stop your attack and give me life point gain equal to that amount!"

Terra- 6200

Esmin- 4000

Ahran- 4000

Terra shrugged his shoulders. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn."

Ahran drew twice. ("Why didn't he attack the other guy? It's like he is toying with us.") Shaking his head to clear it, the wolf demon looked over at his Crystal Dragon. ("My friend…forgive me for what I am about to do.") "I equip my dragon with this and then sacrifice it to summon out Kaiser Glider!" (2400/2200)

Terra narrowed his eyes slightly. ("Why equip your monster with something and then send it to the graveyard?")

He understood a moment later when the emerald-colored Crystal Dragon reappeared on the field. Ahran held up a card. "I used my Light of Rebirth equipment magic card on my Crystal Dragon. When the monster equipped with this card is sent to the graveyard, then I may special summon it back to the field."

Terra smirked slightly and motioned with his fingers. "Come and play then, little whelp."

Ahran pointed at Diabound Carnel. "Go Crystal Burst!" Opening its jaws, the dragon released a wave of crystal light that tore towards the monster…and then swerved to slam into the remaining Diabound token. "What?"

Terra- 5250

Esmin- 4000

Ahran- 4000

Terra pointed to his Shadow Creator. "This monster possesses the power to force you to attack all tokens on my field before attacking anything else."

Ahran pointed at Diabound Carnel. "Golden Burst!" The Kaiser Glider opened its jaws and released a wave of energy that hurtled across the field towards the demon. "You won't escape this time!"

"That's what you think." The golden ball of fire swerved and blew the Shadow Creator apart. "Did I mention that my Shadow Creator counts as a token?"

Terra- 4650

Esmin- 4000

Ahran- 4000

Ahran snarled and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Terra shook his head sadly. "You're just like Rikuo. It's sad really." Then he looked over at Esmin. "Maybe you can do better?"

Esmin drew twice. "I intend to. First I summon Gurandora (1900/700) in attack mode. When this monster is summoned I gain 1000 life points, but when it is destroyed I lose 2000."

Terra- 4650

Esmin- 5000

Ahran- 4000

The fox demon pointed at Diabound Carnel. "I'm getting very sick of that thing! Go my monster!" Gurandora roared and charged, slashing Diabound Carnel in half.

Terra- 4550

Esmin- 5000

Ahran- 4000

Terra snapped his fingers. "Nice attempt, but bad idea. I activate the trap card My Opponent's Shadow. This card changes the target of the attack to another creature. Namely…" Diabound Carnel reappeared on the field, and Gurandora charged towards Kaiser Glider, immediately getting blown apart.

Terra- 4550

Esmin- 2500

Ahran- 4000

Esmin frowned and slid a card into his disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Poison Spore. This will make it so that if you destroy my Fairy King Truesdale, the monster the destroys it will be destroyed as well. Then I switch my King into defense. End turn." The elf fell to one knee and its skin turned a pale purple.

Terra drew twice. "I love this. It's so much fun finally being able to duel how I wish, without any kind of limitations on me!"

("What's he talking about?") Both Ahran and Esmin thought at once.

Terra smirked. "Forgive me, I got carried away. Now then, let's continue. I summon Dark Familiar (700/700) in defense mode." A little demon appeared on the field next to Diabound Carnel. "This monster cannot be attacked as long as I have other monsters on the field. While it is in defense mode its attack strength will be given to one monster on my field. In this case…" The demon's body gave off black ribbons of energy that ran through Diabound Carnel's body. (2500/1600) "Now I summon out my Diabound token and equip it to Crystal Dragon." Another shadow of Diabound Carnel latched onto the emerald-colored monster. (950/2750) "Now your creature is finished. Go Death Spiral!" The demon charged up another spiral blast and hurled it at Ahran's monster.

Ahran discarded a card from his hand and threw up his arms to try to stave off the blast as it barreled through his dragon and hit him. "Radiance Ring defends my monster from death."

Terra- 4550

Esmin- 2500

Ahran- 3050

Terra shrugged it off. He didn't care. "End turn."

Ahran drew twice. ("This is ridiculous…how long can he keep his monster alive? And as long as it stays in play we cannot do anything.") "I switch both Kaiser Glider and Crystal Dragon into defense mode." Both dragons curled their wings in and crouched. "Then I summon Barrier Angel (0/1700) in defense mode. This monster's special ability makes it impossible to attack as long as I have other monsters, and it raises the defense of all defensive monsters on my field by 500 points as well." An angel in heavy armor appeared on the field in a crouching position. (0/2200) (950/3250) (2400/2700) "End turn."

Esmin drew twice. ("I am more patient than you are Terra. You'll make a mistake long before I do.") "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Terra drew twice. "This is interesting…so now you both crumble to my Diabound Carnel? Bah, then I end my turn without playing anything." He looked sad, which seemed strange considering the fact that he was winning.

Ahran drew twice and his eyes widened. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Esmin had caught that look. ("What did you draw?") He drew twice. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Terra drew slowly, a dark smile on his face. ("Time to turn up the damage factor.") "I play the magic card Neiki Ouiju." A stone tablet appeared on the field and sucked the Barrier Angel into its surface. "This will seal away your monster and leave it useless. Not only is its effect gone, but when it is destroyed you'll lose 500 life points. Just to make this even more painful for you, I also summon Dark Serpent." (1600/1800) A huge black snake appeared on the field. "This monster's special ability doubles all power increases on my field. So now my Diabound Carnel gains another 700 attack points." (3200/1600) "Destroy the Crystal Dragon now, Death Spiral!" The grey demon threw a ball of energy that flew across the field and slammed into the dragon, blowing it apart. "And if I am correct, your Radiance Ring trap card will only work for monsters in attack mode. Such a shame for you. Then my Dark Serpent attacks Esmin's fairy!" The snake curled around the crouching fairy and then exploded along with its prey. "And your equipment magic card kills my snake, bringing Diabound Carnel back to its 2500 attack strength. End turn."

Ahran closed his eyes and drew twice. ("My friend…now's our chance to end this madness.") "You just did exactly what I wanted you to do."

"Oh really?" Terra smirked slightly. "Then come and try your luck against me."

Ahran smirked back. "I'm done being passive, it's time for you to die. Trap card activate! Go Crystal Rebirth!" The Crystal Dragon reappeared on the field. "This trap card revives one monster from my graveyard with either the word Crystal in its title or a gem name. Then I reveal my other card!" His card flipped up and the stone tablet exploded into dust. "The quickplay magic card Baptism of Light destroys one monster on my field and lets me special summon out one light monster from my hand to the field!" He threw down another card and a huge ruby-colored version of his Crystal Dragon appeared on the field. "Come out, Crystal Dragon!"

Terra- 4550

Esmin- 2500

Ahran- 2550

Terra narrowed his eyes slowly.

Ahran motioned to his Kaiser Glider, which stretched its wings and roared loudly into the darkness. "Kaiser Glider goes into attack mode. Now, try this on for size! Crystal Burst!" The ruby Crystal Dragon fired a blast of the same-colored light that slammed into Diabound Carnel and blew it apart. "And this time stay dead."

Terra- 4300

Esmin- 2500

Ahran- 2550

Terra motioned to his set cards. "I'm not that easily defeated! I reveal Mirror Wall Ouiju and Revival Ouiju! The first card will increase the attack strength of one monster on my field by half of the attack strength of a creature on yours, as long as target creature destroyed one of my monsters in battle. The other card will revive one of my lost monsters immediately!" Diabound Carnel reappeared on the field much larger than before. (3175/1600) "Also, Mirror Wall Ouiju forces the killer of my monster and the powered up monster to do battle immediately!" The demon threw a spiral burst of energy that blew the Crystal Dragon apart.

Terra- 4300

Esmin- 2500

Ahran- 2125

Ahran's eyes closed in pain. ("Forgive me, my friend…I should have known better.") "I play the continuous magic card Life-Giving Spring." A white stone fountain appeared behind his monsters. "Whenever you attack now I will gain 500 life points before damage calculation. End turn."

Esmin drew twice. ("Foolish boy is going to get himself killed at this rate.") "I set a monster in defense and discard one card from my hand to bring its size back down to six. End turn."

Terra drew. "You both are rather interesting. I never said the Mirror Wall Ouiju gave my monster a permanent attack increase. Oh well, such a shame."

Both Esmin and Ahran frowned at the fact that they had been tricked.

"What's the matter?" Terra feigned looking hurt. "It's not my fault. Anyway, now I summon Dark Eyes." (0/0) A pair of phantasmal red eyes appeared in the air above him. "This monster can be sacrificed to bring back any equipment magic card from my graveyard. So I'll take back Dead Spirit's After-image and equip it to my Diabound Carnel again." Another shadow of the demon appeared on his field. "Equip to Crystal Dragon!" The shade flew across the field and latched onto the Dragon. "Then Death Spiral!" (950/2750)

Ahran discarded a card from his hand just in time to catch what energy his dragon didn't stop right in the chest. Though the fountain sprinkled him with energy, it wasn't enough to remove the pain.

Terra- 4300

Esmin- 2500

Ahran- 1675

Terra slid a card into his duel disk and smirked. "End turn, whelp."

_To be continued…_


	10. Upon the wings of an Angel Dragon

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos arc

Chapter 10: Upon the wings of an Angel Dragon

_Esmin drew twice. ("Foolish boy is going to get himself killed at this rate.") "I set a monster in defense and discard one card from my hand to bring its size back down to six. End turn."_

_Terra drew. "You both are rather interesting. I never said the Mirror Wall Ouiju gave my monster a permanent attack increase. Oh well, such a shame."_

_Both Esmin and Ahran frowned at the fact that they had been tricked._

"_What's the matter?" Terra feigned looking hurt. "It's not my fault. Anyway, now I summon Dark Eyes." (0/0) A pair of phantasmal red eyes appeared in the air above him. "This monster can be sacrificed to bring back any equipment magic card from my graveyard. So I'll take back Dead Spirit's After-image and equip it to my Diabound Carnel again." Another shadow of the demon appeared on his field. "Equip to Crystal Dragon!" The shade flew across the field and latched onto the Dragon. "Then Death Spiral!" (950/2750)_

_Ahran discarded a card from his hand just in time to catch what energy his dragon didn't stop right in the chest. Though the fountain sprinkled him with energy, it wasn't enough to remove the pain._

_Terra- 4300_

_Esmin- 2500_

_Ahran- 1675_

_Terra slid a card into his duel disk and smirked. "End turn, whelp."_

Ahran's shoulders trembled. "I…will…not…fall!" He drew twice. Looking at the two cards, his eyes widened. And then he smirked. "You're finished. I play the ritual magic card Crystal Riders Emergence! This magic card requires that I sacrifice twelve stars worth of monsters!"

Terra's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Twelve stars? Interesting…so you'll be sacrificing your Kaiser Glider and Crystal Dragon?"

"No, I'll be sacrificing my Crystal Dragon and this Different Dimension Dragon (1200/1500) in my hand." He discarded the cards into his graveyard and a screeching cry rent the darkness. "Come out now, Emerald Rider!" A warrior riding on an emerald-colored dragon floated down onto the field. (1900/1200)

Terra chuckled. "What a waste of stars…for such a piece of trash."

"Piece of trash?" Ahran held up the two cards in his hand. "Did you notice that this ritual monster was summoned from my hand to the field, instead of my ritual deck?"

"I noticed…but I still don't see why you needed twelve stars for a four star monster."

Ahran slapped two more cards onto his disk. "Then let me explain it like this! Go Sapphire and Ruby Riders!" (1900/1200X2) Two more warriors appeared, each one riding a dragon of the appropriate colors.

"So now you have four monsters…and all of them don't match up to Diabound Carnel." Terra laughed into the darkness. "I hope you summoned them in defense mode."

"No, I called them out in attack mode. End turn." Ahran didn't seem worried about the attack strength of his monsters.

Esmin drew twice. ("I'm being ignored…") If there was one thing he disliked, it was being treated as second-class. ("So I think it is time to bring their attention back to the fact that this duel is three-way.") "First I play the magic card Night Mulch. This card lets me discard monsters from my hand. For each one I discard I may either regain 1000 life points or pick up one trap card from my graveyard." He discarded five cards. "I'll pick up two traps and gain 3000 life points."

Terra- 4300

Esmin- 5500

Ahran- 1675

The fox demon wasn't close to done though. "Then I flip up my face-down Primordial Slime (1000/1000) which when destroyed lets me special summon one monster from my graveyard as long as it is a plant. Also, I flip up my trap card Pollen Pit. This will destroy one monster that is summoned and let me special summon a plant from my deck." A ball of green ooze appeared on his field and then exploded into dust. "So first I return Fairy King Truesdale to the field in defense mode." The elfin monarch reappeared in a crouching position on his field. (2200/1400) "Now that he is in defense mode all plant monsters on my field gains 500 attack points. And also, I call out Lord Poison in attack mode." (1500+500/1000) A horrible plant-like monster appeared on the field. "Also, I set three cards face-down and then play Card of Sanctity. We all will draw until we have six cards in our hands."

All three demons drew until they had six cards in their hands.

Esmin held up another card from his hand. "Mystical Space Typhoon will destroy your face-down card!" The card exploded into pieces. "Now I flip up Monster Reborn and revive a monster I discarded earlier! Come out, King of Plants-Direco!" (1800/2000) A huge man wearing flower robes appeared on the field. "This monster, when on the field in combination with Fairy King Truesdale, raises the attack points of all plants in play by 1000!" (Lord Poison: 3000/1000) (King of Plants-Direco: 3300/2000) "Now I attack your Diabound Carnel with Direco! Whip of Thorns!" The monster snapped up its hand and thousands of thorny rose vines exploded out of the ground and tore the snake demon apart. "And then Lord Poison attacks your Dark Familiar!" The monster launched forwards and slashed the little demon apart with its claws. "Then I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Terra- 3600

Esmin- 5500

Ahran- 1675

Terra's eyes slowly came over to rest on Esmin. "You just pushed me. Now I'll push back." He drew twice. "So let's start with the magic card Spider Web." The card appeared on the field and spat out a single line of silk that flew into Esmin's graveyard slot. "This effect will take the top card of your graveyard and gives it to me." He tugged the silk line and a card flew through the air to land into his hand. Flipping it over, he smirked. "Monster Reborn is mine. Then I play your Monster Reborn and then play the quickplay magic card Emergency Provisions, which lets me sacrifice both Monster Reborn and my Sacred Wealth to gain 2000 life points."

Terra- 5600

Esmin- 5500

Ahran- 1675

The wolf demon thief licked his lips. "Monster Reborn revives Diabound Carnel." The grey snake demon appeared on the field. "Then I play my Monster Reborn to revive a monster of my own. Come out Dark Familiar." The demon appeared on the field next to his other one.

Esmin spat onto the ground. "Again with this over-used combo?"

Terra shook his head. "Actually…I'm sacrificing them to summon a brand new monster. A creature that I'm quite sure neither you Esmin, with your Japanese background, nor you Ahran, with the same, have ever heard of." The two demons disappeared. What stood in there place was a brown-skinned human in a baggy red coat with a huge mane of white hair. "King of Thieves-Bakura!" (/2000) Upon hearing his name, the Thief King started to smile sickly. "This powerful monster has quite a few abilities, but the first lets it take the attack points of the strongest monster on the field and then kill it." Bakura flicked his hand once and Esmin's Direco collapsed to the ground dead, with a knife sticking out of its throat. (3300/2000)

Esmin frowned as the attack of his Lord Poison plummeted. (2000/1000)

Terra discarded a card from his hand. "Special ability number two…will let me discard a card from my hand to destroy all set cards on the field. Nothing may be used in response to this effect." Bakura snapped his fingers and all of Esmin's set cards and monsters disappeared.

The fox demon's eyes widened. "What…kind of monster is this?"

"It is a creature based off a human I knew. He was a king of thieves…something that not many can declare and live through the repercussions." Terra's hand pointed at Truesdale. "Now attack." Bakura flicked his hand and a storm of knives slashed the fairy apart. "End turn."

Ahran drew. ("Now's my chance, he has no traps on his field!") "Ruby Rider special ability go! When it is on the field and I have my ruby-colored Crystal Dragon in the graveyard I may sacrifice it to summon out that monster!" The warrior exploded and the dragon's attack power shot upwards. (2750/2750)

"So your dragons are returning?" Terra snickered as the effects of Emerald Rider and Sapphire triggered. Both warriors exploded and the dragons attack points rose to join their brethren's. (2750/2750)

Ahran slapped a card down. "Go Crystal Kuriboh!" (300/200) A little glittering crystal version of a Kuriboh appeared on the field. "This monster cannot be attacked as long as I have other light monsters in play. The attack strength of all other light monsters I have will now be increased by 500 points!" (Crystal Dragon: 3250/2750) (Kaiser Glider: 2900/2200)

Terra pointed at Bakura. "You're just a few points short. Want to try again?"

Ahran held up another card. "Don't think me beaten just yet! Activate field magic card Crystal Coliseum!" All around them a crystal building rose up. "In this place all monsters with crystal or a gem name in their title gain 1000 attack points when they battle with a monster stronger than themselves! Crystal Burst!" His sapphire dragon opened its jaws and released a burst of crystal energy that hurtled towards Terra's monster.

"Foolish whelp," Terra discarded a card from his hand. "King of Thieves-Bakura special ability activate! When I discard one card from my hand I can not only negate your attack but destroy one monster on your field!" Bakura removed his coat and snapped it upwards, knocking the blast away. The ball of light arched in the air and dropped onto the head of the emerald Crystal Dragon, blowing it apart.

Ahran frowned and discarded a card from his hand. There was a flash of light and his Crystal Dragon reappeared. "Did you forget the power of my Radiance Ring trap card? By discarding a card from my hand I can stop any light monster from being destroyed. Crystal Burst!" The emerald Crystal Dragon snarled and spat its own attack towards Bakura.

Terra smirked. "You're really not that smart, or else you'd figure out that I knew that already." He discarded a card from his hand. "King of Thieves-Bakura special ability activates and sends the attack at your Kaiser Glider this time!" Bakura chuckled and snapped his coat in an arc, the heavy fabric smacking the attack towards the golden dragon and blowing it apart.

Terra- 5600

Esmin- 5500

Ahran- 1325

It was Ahran's turn to smile. "I won't be discarding a card to return Kaiser Glider, because I wanted you to destroy him. When he is destroyed one monster on the field is sent back to its owner's hand. So good-bye Bakura!"

"Wrong," Terra and Bakura both waved a finger in the air chidingly. "The special ability of Bakura is when he reflects an attack whatever is destroyed because of the reflection has its special ability stopped."

Ahran growled and slid a card into his disk. "I set this face-down and end my turn."

Esmin drew. ("This mutt has the perfect card for my deck. With all of my trap monsters, I must set cards. And his creature's ability will destroy them without giving me a chance to activate them.") "Pot of Greed first." He drew two cards. "Then I set one card face-down on the field and one monster face-down. Finally, I switch my Lord Poison into defense mode. End turn."

Terra eyed both of his opponents, while Bakura just smiled knowingly. "Ready? Because my turn starts now!" He drew…

Everyone in the hospital had trouble figuring out where a certain noise was coming from. It was the sound of laughter, and it was so loud that everyone in the whole building could hear it.

"Well this isn't something you see everyday," Daniel commented dryly.

"SHUT UP JOURGEN! I SWEAR I'LL RIP YOUR LUNGS OUT!" Rikuo screamed at the top of his lungs.

The dragon demon was too busy rolling on the floor and laughing to hear him.

Eri looked just as pissed as her father. "Stop laughing!"

Ashley and Sammy were both standing behind Daniel, fairly certain they would be safe if someone attacked anyone else.

Slowly, Ryu calmed down and slowly came to his feet. After brushing his shirt off he looked over at Rikuo and Eri. "You're both rather funny when you're angry. Of course, the sight of a midget Rikuo is much more entertaining."

Growling, the little wolf demon crossed his arms across his chest. "It…isn't…funny! Now fix it so I can kick your ass!"

Ryu closed his eyes and stroked his chin. "Sorry, but I can't."

Rikuo face-fell, which was rather entertaining to the dragon demon. "WHAT?"

"I can't change the punishment enforced upon you through the darkness. You'll just have to age normally." Ryu turned and looked at Daniel. "So…do you know that your wife has left over 500 messages on your answering machine?"

The half wolf-demon's face turned a pale blue. "E…excuse….me?"

"You heard me the first time." Running a hand through his black hair, the dragon demon smiled. "And the last few messages were pretty entertaining as well. Especially the one with the threat of coming down here to see you." He tapped his chin with a nail. "That one had something to do with a pair of scissors and your tail, I believe."

Daniel was out the door by the time the words scissors had left Ryu's mouth.

Rikuo blinked at the blurry afterimage of his other half as it faded. "………..so…..what I am supposed to do now?"

Ryu crouched down to look at his friend. "It's never too late to enroll in kindergarten, right?"

With impossible speed, the dragon demon was suddenly crushed into the ground because of an overhead hit from a table.

"Thank you princess," Rikuo said sagely.

"You're welcome father," Eri put the table back in place and sat down.

Terra drew and his lips curled into a calm smile. "I set one card face-down on the field and play Bandit's Freedom. This magic card lets me draw cards from my deck at the cost of 500 life points per card. So I'll draw six." He slid six cards off of his deck at once, not bothered in the least by the fact that his life points were rapidly decreasing.

Terra- 2600

Esmin- 5500

Ahran- 1325

Ahran and Esmin both felt sweat along their foreheads. As long as King of Thieves-Bakura was in play they both couldn't hope to get in a successful attack.

Terra motioned to his set card. "Activate face-down card. It's called Unearthing the Past, and at the cost of two hand cards I can pick up one card from my graveyard." The wolf demon slid two cards into his graveyard and removed one from the slot. "Monster Reborn will be enough for now. Then I discard a card from my hand to activate the effect of Bakura!" Esmin's monster and set card disappeared, along with Ahran's set card.

Ahran glanced around at the Crystal Coliseum and felt comforted by the fact that if Terra attacked him he would only succeed in killing his monster.

Esmin smirked because if Lord Poison was destroyed he could still special summon any plant monster in his graveyard to the field.

Terra raised his hand to point at Esmin's monster. "Bakura attack!" The thief flicked his wrist and the plant monster was skewered by a storm of knives.

Esmin removed a card from his graveyard. "You activated the effect of Lord Poison. When it is destroyed as a result of battle I may special summon out one plant monster of mine." He threw the card down. "So I call back Fairy King Truesdale in defense mode."

Terra and Bakura both shrugged it off. "End turn."

Ahran drew. ("I have to be careful, because one mistake in this duel will cost me my existence.") Closing his eyes and hoping for luck, he slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Esmin drew. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Terra drew. "So you both think I'll just sit idle and let you prepare yourselves for the coming storm? Not a chance in hell." He discarded a card. "Bakura's special ability will first destroy your set cards." The set magic/trap card of his two opponents's faded away. "Then I play the magic card Premature Burial. At the cost of 800 life points I can revive one monster from my graveyard, and that monster is Diabound Carnel!" The grey snake demon appeared next to the thief king.

Terra- 1800

Esmin- 5500

Ahran- 1325

"Diabound Carnel's special ability equips him to your monster!" The demon turned into a black shadow that fell over the sapphire Crystal Dragon. (1450/2750) "Go Bakura!" Snickering, the Thief King flicked his wrist and a storm of knives slammed into the dragon.

Ahran slid a card from his hand into his graveyard, and then feel to his knees as pain spiked through him from the attack backlash.

Terra- 1800

Esmin- 5500

Ahran- 975

Terra sighed. "You're just adamant about keeping those damned dragons alive. End turn."

Ahran, hands trembling, somehow found the strength to draw. ("I don't have the strength for this…") "I play…Pot of Greed." After drawing two cards his eyes started to waver. ("So drained…") Then he felt it. It was amplified in the roars of his dragons. ("My friends…I will not fall.") Coming to his feet, he slapped one of the two new cards down. "When Watapon (200/300) is drawn it is special summoned to the field immediately." A little white fluff-ball appeared on his field.

Terra shrugged. "So what? Bakura can kill it easily."

"It won't be around long enough for that to occur." Ahran held up a card from his hand. "It's time to unleash my ultimate monster. Activate Polymerization!" The three Crystal Dragons were pulled into each other. And the creature that emerged was a towering diamond-covered dragon. "Ultimate Diamond Dragon!" (3500/3500) Roaring, the dragon shook the ground all around them. "This monster possesses the power to attack all monsters on my opponents field at once, and it can deal damage through defense as well."

Terra quietly waited for the attack. ("Come then, fool. I'll reflect your attack and blow your dragon apart.")

Ahran held up another card. "I activate the magic card Seal of Light. This card will trap one monster on my field within an alternate dimension until one of my monsters is destroyed. At that time, the returned monster will have its attack power raised by 1000 points." His Ultimate Diamond Dragon disappeared and was replaced by a glowing symbol of light that hovered in the air.

Esmin was confused now. ("Why summon out a strong monster and then seal it away…unless…")

Ahran held up the last card in his hand. "I sacrifice both Watapon and Crystal Kuriboh to summon out Destruction Dragon Gondola!" (?) A towering dragon appeared on his field and roared loudly, shaking the air with the scream. All over the dragon's body was a huge number of red crystals. "This monster requires half of my life points to use its special ability, which triggers during my battle phase. Gondola will remove all monsters on your field from the game and then destroy itself. Go Destruction Scream!" Gondola's jewels released a wave of red energy that ripped across the field.

Terra- 1800

Esmin- 5500

Ahran- 482

Terra slid a card into his graveyard. "What do you think I am? I'm not worried about your stupid little trick." Bakura snapped up his coat and knocked the blast away, somehow sending the whole wave back at its user. Gondola roared and was blown apart from both inside and outside.

Ichigo motioned to his Seal of Light, which exploded and released his charged up Ultimate Diamond Dragon. (4500/3500) "I didn't intend to destroy your monster that way. But now my creature is more than strong enough to handle your monster. End turn."

Esmin frowned and drew. ("Luckily, Truesdale survived the attack as well.") He slid a card into his disk. "I set this face-down and end my turn." ("As long as I don't do anything stupid, he'll focus on the boy for now.")

Terra drew. "You're getting on my nerves, whelp. So I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Ahran drew. ("Bakura is too powerful…I need a method to defeat it.") He slid the drawn card into his disk. "Go Swords of Revealing Light! This magic card will prevent you from attacking me for three turns!" Glowing green swords of light fell down onto the field. "End turn."

Esmin drew. "End turn."

Terra snapped the top card off of his deck. "This means nothing to me. Fools, I'll crush you both with the methods you tried to use against me!" He slammed a card into his disk. "Here we go Bakura! Snatch Steal lets me take control of one monster on my opponent's field and force it to obey me!" The Ultimate Diamond Dragon roared and floated over to join its new master. "Also, I play Monster Reborn on Destruction Dragon Gondola!" A shattering roar shook the air as the Destruction Dragon reappeared. "Now for my battle phase! Ultimate Diamond Dragon, attack Esmin's monster now!" The dragon opened its jaws and released a reality-breaking wave of power that hurtled towards the fox demon's Fairy King.

Esmin threw up his arms as his monster was immediately erased from existence by the sheer force of the blast.

Terra- 1800

Esmin- 2400

Ahran- 482

Terra pointed at Gondola. "Destruction Scream!" The dragon roared and shuddered as it released its attack the second time in this duel, blowing itself apart and removing all other monster in the game from play.

Terra- 900

Esmin- 2400

Ahran- 482

Or so was planned. However, Terra was ready for the downside of Gondola's effect. "Also, I reveal my trap card, which is called Thief's Masterful Escape. This will negate one card effect from touching any monsters on my field with Thief in their title." Bakura brushed off his coat and then looked over at Esmin with a cold smile on his face.

Ahran felt his heart break at the sight of his best monster not only being taken control of, but killed by another of his best dragons. Slowly, the wolf demon fell to his knees and stared into space, his confidence and will to fight shattered.

Terra pointed at Esmin. "Farewell! Bakura attacks your life points directly!" The thief king flicked his wrist and a storm of knives launched across the field towards Esmin.

"I'm not out yet!" Esmin discarded a card from his hand. "Go Life-Stealing Spores! This card allows me to gain life points equal to half of the attack of all of your attacking monsters this turn!" The knives flew through him, but he still stood alive.

Terra- 900

Esmin- 750

Ahran- 482

Terra sighed and slid a card into his disk. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards." Sliding two cards off of his deck, he smirked and slid one card into his disk. "First I play Mirage of Nightmare. This continuous magic card lets me draw until I have four cards in my hand during your standby phase. Then during my following standby phase I discard that same number of cards." He slid a card into his disk next to it. "I also set one card face-down and end my turn."

Esmin frowned and drew. "Now I…"

"Not so fast!" Terra drew four cards and motioned to his face-down card. "Activate the trap card Painful Trade! This trap card transfers one card on my field to my opponent's field and lets me draw one card in return for it." He drew and the Mirage of Nightmare shimmered into Esmin's disk. "Also, since four cards have been drawn through the effect of Mirage of Nightmare, then since it is the owning player's standby phase he must discard that same number at random."

Esmin gasped as four of the cards in his hand faded away like smoke on the wind. He looked at the single remaining card and clenched his fist. "I summon Flower Sprite (200/300) in defense mode." A little fairy in a flower dress appeared on his field. "End turn."

Ahran's eyes were closed and he was trembling. ("Why am I afraid? It is because I lost it. Even my best can't touch one of this demon's power.") He felt the beginnings of tears in his eyes. Despite whatever bravado he tried putting on, he didn't want to die. Death was something he truly feared, and to lose his second chance at life…

A single roar broke him back to reality. It was a sound he knew all too well. ("Ultimate Diamond Dragon?") Slowly he looked up into the darkness…and felt a prescense. ("You believe I can do it?")

"What are you staring at whelp? Hurry up and finish your turn so I can banish you into the darkness realm!" Terra was not in the mood to play around. He wanted to end this so that no one would become worried about where Griff was.

Ahran came to his feet, little drops of wetness at the corners of his eyes. "I'm not done yet!" He drew.

Esmin and Terra both felt a pulse of energy far stronger than anything they had thought possible from a boy that age.

The emerald-eyed demon held the drawn card up into the air. "Go Card of Sanctity!" All of them drew until they had six cards in their hand.

Ahran looked at the cards and then held one up into the air. "I remove three light monsters from my graveyard." Holding up three of his cards, he watched them all dissipate into the wind. "Now to defeat Bakura!"

"You won't be defeating anyone. No matter what you summon, my monster can evade it." To prove his point, Terra fanned out his six card hand. "I can evade and reflect back six attacks total. That means you can't hope to win."

"I beg to differ. To accomplish this, then I must simply attack you seven times." Ahran slapped the card down and the darkness around them was blown away in one blinding flash. "First, I negate the darkness game!"

"Negate the darkness game?" Terra couldn't believe that they were suddenly standing in the light of day again. "How?"

"With the help of this!" A glowing sphere of white-yellow light lowered down onto his field. "Come out now, Moonstone Angel Dragon!" (2300/1000) The sphere exploded and revealed a dragon that could only be described as some kind of angel. It had feathered wings and was surrounded by a holy golden glow.

Terra clapped his hands. "Very cute, but that's all it is to me."

"It'll be a lot more in but a moment!" Ahran raised his hand to the sky. "Moonstone Angel Dragon special ability go!" Three balls of emerald, ruby and sapphire colored light landed on his field in the air around his dragon. "Awaken, my three Crystal Dragons!" Each of the three dragons roared together, the sound joined by the melodious voice of the Moonstone Angel Dragon. "When I remove three light monsters from my graveyard to summon out my monster, the removed monsters are special summoned along with it!"

Terra flicked the six cards he was holding. "Ahem, need I explain?"

"No." Ahran slid a card into his disk. "Emergency Provisions lets me sacrifice Swords of Revealing Light and my fountain to gain 2000 life points!" The swords and fountain shattered.

Terra- 900

Esmin- 750

Ahran- 2482

Terra narrowed his eyes.

Ahran held up his remaining four cards. "Monster Returned go! This magic card lets me return one removed from play monster to the field!" Above the three smaller dragons and the huge Moonstone Angel Dragon a prismatic ball of light appeared. "Ultimate Diamond Dragon returns!" The ball blew apart and revealed his best monster, which roared along with its brethren.

"Crystal Dragons all over the place." Terra smirked. "But Bakura will wipe them all out in time."

Ahran held out his remaining three cards. "Bakura is dead." He slid all of the three cards into his disk and pointed at the King of Thieves. "Crystal Burst!" The sapphire-colored Crystal Dragon released a wave of energy that hurtled towards Bakura.

"Idiot!" Terra discarded a card. "Bakura's special ability activates!" The brown-skinned Egyptian smirked and removed his coat, snapping it through the air and knocking the attack back towards the emerald-colored Crystal Dragon.

Ahran motioned to his first played card. "This magic card is called Spirit of the Knight! As long as it is in play all monsters on my field cannot be defeated by attacks with strength equal to their own!" Roaring, the emerald Crystal Dragon took the blast to the face and shrugged it off.

Ahran drew a card and pointed at his next played card. "Treasure of Grief is a permanent magic card that lets me draw one card every time the attack of one of my monsters fails!"

"So what, you can't use that card against me." Terra knew he was safe.

"Wrong!" Ahran motioned to his last card. "Leading the Charge lets me play one magic card from my hand every time one of my monsters attacks!"

"What makes you believe you'll be getting magic cards?" Terra shouted over the roars of the dragons.

Ahran slid the new card into his disk. "Go Crystal Burst!" The emerald dragon charged up a ball of the same-colored energy and sprayed it towards Bakura.

Terra discarded another card. "Swing and a miss!" The Thief King snapped his coat in an arc and knocked the blast towards the Moonstone Angel Dragon.

Ahran pointed at his new card. "Immunity of Diamonds makes my monster immune to battle damage for this turn!" The blast slammed into the dragon and then struck Ahran in the chest.

Terra- 900

Esmin- 750

Ahran- 1782

The emerald-eyed dragon then drew a card. "Treasure of Grief lets me draw one card! Then I play this magic card and order my monster to attack! Crystal Burst!" The ruby-colored Crystal Dragon released a wave of energy that hurtled towards Bakura.

Terra discarded another card and the Thief King easily knocked the attack back towards the Moonstone Angel Dragon. "You're not going to win!"

Ahran took the backlash of energy to his chest, knowing that his monster was safe. Then he drew a card and slid it into his disk. "The magic card I activated before was Dragon's Sacrifice. It allows me to sacrifice dragons to draw cards!" His three used Crystal Dragons blew apart and he drew three cards. "Then I order Moonstone Angel Dragon to attack! Lunar Burst!" The dragon opened its jaws and released a glittering wave of light.

Terra discarded again. "You're not going to win by sacrificing your monsters repeatedly!" Bakura snapped up his coat and knocked the ball towards the Ultimate Diamond Dragon, which it took to the chest without much problem.

Terra- 700

Esmin- 750

Ahran- 1082

Ahran drew again. "Before my dragon's attack I played the magic card Quick Attack! So now my Moonstone Angel Dragon attacks again!" The dragon opened its jaws once more and fired.

And again the attack was knocked back into the Ultimate Diamond Dragon.

Terra- 500

Esmin- 750

Ahran- 1082

Ahran drew again, now holding four cards in his hand. "When you reflected this attack I played the magic card Rapid Spell Battle. This magic card allows us both to play magic cards as much as we want to during the battle phase of this turn!" He slid a card into his disk. "So then I play Crystal Genocide Burst! This magic card will only work if I have one of my Crystal Dragons or Ultimate Diamond Dragon in play! It will destroy all monsters on your field!"

Terra slid a card into his disk. "Wrong! Go Neiki Ouiju!" A huge stone tablet appeared in the air and sucked up the Ultimate Diamond Dragon. "Now your monster will be unable to be used for anything. Also, my life points and monster no longer must worry during this turn!"

Ahran closed his eyes and smiled slightly. "Magic card activate now!" A glowing barrier appeared around Bakura. "Glittering Barrier will reflect one attack against the equipped monster back to the enemy's field! Also, I play Enraged Charge! This card forces one of my monsters to attack, and it also gains 1000 attack points! Go Lunar Burst!" The dragon opened its jaws and sprayed one more time. "However, my monster will be destroyed immediately after the fight." The energy blast reflected off the barrier around Bakura and slammed into the stone tablet, blowing it apart.

Terra- 500

Esmin- 750

Ahran- 82

Terra was actually panting from the sheer intensity. "You…don't think that will be enough, do you? You no longer have any monsters on the field, and Bakura is safe."

Ahran snapped up a card from his deck. "For the effect of Treasure of Grief I draw one card." He drew and smirked. "Monster Reborn activate!"

The wolf demon thief gasped in surprise. "No!"

There was a flash of light as the Ultimate Diamond Dragon returned to the field. "It's finished! Crystal Genocide Explosion!" The dragon released a wave of energy that washed over Terra's field and destroyed Bakura instantly.

Terra- 300

Esmin- 750

Ahran- 82

Though he was surprised, Terra was more pissed than anything else. "You bastard…I'll destroy you in the next turn!"

"There is no next turn!" Ahran snapped his last card around. "De-Fusion activates and separates Ultimate Diamond Dragon back into my three Crystal Dragons!" The huge beast shimmered and broke down into its original three pieces. "Triple Crystal Burst!" All three of the dragons opened fire one after another. The first slammed into Terra and blew him off his feet. The second and third blasts blew away Esmin's monster and then Esmin himself. "And I win."

Terra- 0

Esmin- 0

Ahran- 82

Slowly, Ahran smiled and wiped the remains of moisture from his eyes. "I have won. And no one will lose their soul now."

Terra leapt to his feet and growled in anger. "I will get you, little whelp!"

Esmin hopped up onto casually and poked a spot on the back of Terra's neck. "Shut up."

The wolf demon thief was already asleep before he could even finish the thoughts of attacking.

Smirking, Esmin brushed back his hair and smiled slightly. "I'm glad that at least you won instead of that ass." He kicked Terra in the side. "So, can I kill him?"

"Please don't," Ahran sighed, "There needs to be no more death this day."

The fox demon shrugged casually and walked off. "Suit yourself."

Ahran felt a prescense in his mind stir. ("Ichigo, are you awake?")

A yawn was his response. _("So…did you enjoy having our body all to yourself for a little while?)_

Ahran tilted slightly to the side and then face-fell.

_To be continued…_

To Seeker of the Soul: Indeed. Let us all bow to the plant master.

To G.O.T. Nick: I'm playing off the errata on that ability, which says that Truesdale has to be in defense mode for its effect to work.

To Rex: I always try to.

To Sinister: They're both thieves...and in general range of each other. Egos are bound to spark.

To Gryphonwyrm7: Rikuo sent Ichigo/Ahran...ah screw it, let's just say they're all there because it was interesting.


	11. Espionage Madness

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 11: Espionage madness

Ichigo Pilkington stifled a yawn and sat back to listen. It had been a couple of days since he'd been clobbered by a Rikuo-driven bed, and since then his life had actually calmed down. All he had to do was keep clear of any and all members of the Amero family. Coming near Rikuo, whenever the now child-sized wolf demon actually showed his face, meant a likely beating for who knows whatever reason. And though Ichigo did want to see Eri again…he feared that any attempt would come to the same conclusion. A long and painful session with Rikuo Amero.

So he'd spent the last days doing something that he missed. ("Being a student of the coolest place in the world.") Grinning, the half-demon closed his eyes and pricked up his ears to listen into one of his 'favorite' classes in the world. ("Deck Themes…courtesy of Midas King.")

Up at the front of the room, the gold-clothed professor paced back and forth, continuing his speech. "…and that brings me to today's discussion topic. As I'm hoping from all of you, everyone should be trying to keep a deck theme unique to their own personality." He crashed his hand down onto his desk, waking up some of the Osiris Red students that had been sleeping.

Ichigo had predicted the movement and to protect his hearing flattened his ears to his head right before so. ("You're getting predictable.")

"However," Midas motioned out to the whole room. "What would you ever do if you found yourself facing against a deck exactly like your own?" Though he was trying a bit too hard to be dramatic, he did bring up a good point. And this sparked some thoughts in the heads of some of the better duelists in the room, who had already decided upon their theme.

Midas pointed up into the top rows of the room. "Miss Amero, if you could please enlighten us all as to your deck theme."

Eri, without malice, stated. "It is a dead using both undead and demon monsters to create either a defense lock against the opponent, or if it needs to it can switch to a beat-down style."

The professor nodded. "Very good, you know your deck's strengths. Now, what are its weaknesses?"

This brought the demoness pause. She had never actually thought along those lines before.

"You don't know?" Midas tapped his chin. "When then, perhaps you…"

"The weakness in Eri's deck is that it focuses on too many different effects at once. She runs attack monsters in a deck with cards that are meant to create defense. Though it can be seen as strength, it's actually a weakness because an opponent can exploit holes in either strategy with just a bit of careful planning." Ichigo kicked his feet up onto his desk, his eyes still closed.

Midas felt veins bulge in his forehead. "Alright then, mister Pilkington! Let's see…" He pointed up at Hitokage, who raised his eyebrows at the fact that he has suddenly become the center of attention. "What's the weakness of mister Seijitsu's deck then?"

"Hitokage's deck is pretty effective, but one big weakness I've noticed when playing it is that his deck requires the opponent to have a monster in play for it to work. Therefore, against any kind of trap or magic card deck, he would pretty much be close to defenseless." Ichigo yawned. "Anyone else?"

Eri growled low in her throat. ("You smug little…")

Hitokage simply thought on this suddenly exposed 'weakness' of his deck.

Griff rolled his eyes at Ichigo. "You're seriously getting too swelled of a head."

"I agree." Midas cracked his knuckles and raised his finger. ("Let's see how long you can keep up the smart-ass act!") "Then how about mister…"

Daniel smiled to the classroom as a whole. "Good afternoon everyone, I hope you all enjoyed your lunch." He got some enthusiastic replies, and that's all he wanted. As long as some of the class was paying attention then he was happy.

Ichigo was back in his same position at his seat, eyes closed and smiling slightly. He felt proud of himself.

"I can't believe you pointed out the weakness of nearly every deck in class. How did you even know what some of the other students were running?" Griff rolled his eyes. "Besides…"

Daniel whistled, catching the attention of both Griff and Ichigo. "Excuse me, but I overheard an interesting little tidbit of information during lunch that I thought would make a good topic for today's class." Sitting on top of his desk, the half wolf-demon faced the class. "What's the weakness of your deck?"

"Why don't you ask Ichigo, I'm sure he knows," muttered Adriel under his breath.

"Ah yes, Ichigo." Daniel slid off of his seat and smiled. "So…what's the weakness of Ichigo's deck?"

Everyone quieted down at that. Never before had Professor Pilkington ever selected his son for any kind of demonstration.

Ichigo's eyes opened slightly. "What are you talking about? My deck doesn't have any weaknesses."

"Oh?" Daniel knew he was walking a fine line here. If he spoke too much on the weaknesses of Ichigo's deck, he would make it too easy for his son's rivals to get the upper hand in a duel. ("However, I need to convince my son to pull his head out of his ass and think about his strategy.") Pulling a card out of his pocket, he flipped it over to show it to the class. "Your deck uses the magic card Polymerization to fuse your Cyber Shadows together and create fusions with incredible power. What happens though, if someone uses this?" The card he was holding was a trap. "Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell is a counter trap card that requires you to discard a magic card from your hand to activate. When you do so, you can negate a magic card. Also, your opponent will no longer be allowed to use that magic card for the rest of the duel."

Ichigo knew all too well what his father was getting at. "So what would I do if someone sealed away my ability to fuse monsters?"

"Right." Daniel nodded slightly.

Ichigo pulled his deck out of his pocket and held up a card from within it. "The field magic card Fusion Gate allows me to still fuse my monsters together. Therefore, I possess more than enough methods to get out my best monsters."

Daniel placed the trap down on his desk and pulled out another card. "What about this? The continuous trap card Fusion Cancel prevents monsters from coming together through union or fusion effects, so even Fusion Gate can't stop that."

"What, am I facing some kind of deck that hates fusion?" Ichigo sighed and held up another card. "Mighty Immunity is a magic card that counts as Polymerization for Cyber Shadows. The fusion that will be created cannot be stopped by pre-negation effects, and during the turn it is summoned my opponent cannot activate trap cards as well."

Daniel pursed his lips slightly. "Fine…then how about this…you take on the deck these cards are in right now and we'll see how well you do."

Ichigo stood up and shrugged, shuffling his hand into his deck. "Sure, let's play."

Daniel walked over and picked a duel disk located under the teacher's desk. Turning it on, he slid the deck into it. "This should be quick, and pay attention everyone. I'll be testing you later on this." Sliding the disk onto his arm, he smirked and drew six cards. "Duel!"

Ichigo picked up his duel disk and turned it on, drawing five cards. "You really want to embarrass you?"

Daniel shrugged and slid two cards into his disk. "I set two cards face-down on the field and summon Makyura the Destructor (1600/1200) in attack mode." A purple warrior appeared on the field and silently waited for a command. "Since this isn't my real deck, losing with it won't matter much. End turn."

Ichigo drew. "Yeah, this doesn't even feel like you dad. It feels like facing any old deck."

("Careful Ichigo….or maybe you think that this is just an examination deck. If so, you're quite wrong. This deck is a brain-child of mine that was meant to test your deck's progress.") Daniel smiled slightly and waited patiently.

Looking his hand over for a few moments, the half-demon smiled. "Magic card, Pot of Greed, activate! This lets me draw two cards." He slid two cards off of his deck and added them to his hand. Glancing at the two drawn cards, he sighed and threw one onto his disk. "I was hoping Pot of Greed would give me something strong enough to defeat your monster, but since it didn't I'll just summon Cyber Shadow-Trainer (300/1200) in defense mode." A grizzled grey-bearded man in a black body-suit appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Then I set one card face-down on the field. End turn."

Daniel drew. ("You've got a lousy bluff, but I'll bite.") "Makyura, attack Trainer!" The warrior leapt forwards…and then slid to a stop a few inches from the monster. "Let me guess, a trap?"

"No, a quickplay magic card." Ichigo held up his face-down card. "Alert Tripwire lets me negate all attacks from you this turn and draw one card from my deck for every Cyber Shadow in play." He slid a card from his deck and smiled.

Daniel closed his eyes and smiled. "Good, I was hoping you'd draw some cards. Reveal face-down card, Rude Greed's Reverse!" One of his face-down cards flipped up. "This card activates when you draw cards during my turn because of one of your own effects. Because of such a rude act, I get to draw three cards." He slid three cards off of the deck and added them to his hand. "Then I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Ichigo drew slowly, his eyes narrowed. "So you want to play rough huh? Alright, well then let's play!" His hand sped up and snapped the card the rest of the way off of his deck. Looking at it, he smirked. "Now it's time to play seriously! I sacrifice Trainer to summon Cyber Shadow-Moonblade!" (2000/1700) A blond-haired woman appeared on his field. "This monster's special ability lets me discard a card from my hand to take one Polymerization magic card and one Cyber Shadow from my deck and add them to my hand."

Daniel narrowed his eyes. ("Someone apparently wasn't listening when I said this deck was meant to oppose your strategy.")

Sliding a card from his hand into his graveyard, Ichigo removed the two cards he was looking for. "Ready pops, because here's Polymerization!"

Daniel motioned to his set card. "Yeah right, how about you open your eyes. Reveal Fusion Cancel! This continuous trap will prevent my opponent from using any fusion or union as long as it is in play."

Ichigo slid the Polymerization that he has planned on using into his graveyard. ("I didn't forget…I just wanted you to bring out you anti-fusion cards.") Sliding two cards into his disk, Ichigo licked his lips. "End turn."

Daniel drew. "It's time to teach you a thing about fusion. I sacrifice Makyura to summon out Wings of Destruction!" (2200/1800) A huge black-winged raven appeared on his field. "Attack Moonblade now!" Opening its beak, the monster screeched and sent a wave of energy ripping towards Ichigo's monster.

"Sorry, but I reveal my face-down card! Go Shadow Force! This trap card lets me negate all attacks from you this turn and transfers the attack of the negated monster to one of my creatures!" A silver barrier of light stopped the attack transferred it Moonblade. (4200/1700)

Daniel held up his other set card. "Now then, go Seven Tools of the Bandit! This counter trap card lets me pay 1000 life points to negate one trap card." The barrier faded away and Moonblade's attack dropped to normal. (2000/1700)

Daniel- 3000  
Ichigo- 4000

Moonblade threw up her hands and slid backwards as the energy blew against her.

Frowning, Ichigo pointed at his struggling warrior. "Moonblade's special ability allows me to drain her of 500 attack points once per turn to negate an attack." (1500/1700)

Daniel slid a card into his disk. "I set one card and end my turn then."

Ichigo drew…and looked up from his hand to meet eyes with Daniel. "Brain-child or no, you need to work a little harder on that deck. Anyway, this duel is done." He slid a card into his disk. "First I play the continuous magic card Cyber Shadow Mainframe! As long as this card remains on the field all Cyber Shadows will gain an extra 500 attack points!" (2000/1700)

"That might have helped a turn ago, but after using Moonblade's effect she is no longer able to help you against my Wings of Destruction." Daniel glanced at his Fusion Cancel for reassurance. ("Moonblade is my Everest in this fight. He can't form anything more powerful than her.")

Ichigo pointed at his face-down card. "Sorry pops, but you're finished! Go Shadow Theft!" The card flipped up and Fusion Cancel shimmered onto Ichigo's field. "This trap card lets me steal one face-up magic or trap card from my opponent as long as I have a Cyber Shadow in play!"

Daniel's eyes widened. ("Shadow Theft….crap…")

Ichigo held up the rest of his hand. "It's over dad! Go Polymerization!" A glowing vortex of darkness appeared in the air above him. "Now I fuse Cyber Shadow-Sentinel (1500/1300) and Cyber Shadow-Relay (0/1600) together to create Cyber Shadow-Scanner (1850/1500) in attack mode!" A bipedal robot appeared on his field with a satellite dish on top of its head. "When this monster is summoned all face-down cards on your field are revealed! Any traps and effect monsters are destroyed!"

Daniel blinked in surprise as his face-down Magic Cylinder flipped up and shattered.

Ichigo smirked and slapped a card down. "Cyber Shadow-Soldier (1600/1600) in attack mode!" A medium-sized humanoid in a black-bodysuit appeared on the field. "Cyber Shadow Mainframe raises their attack strength!"

Cyber Shadow-Moonblade (2000/1700)

Cyber Shadow-Scanner (2350/1500)

Cyber Shadow-Soldier (2100/1600)

("Oh you must be kidding me….") Daniel paled.

Ichigo pointed at Wings of Destruction. "Scanner attack! Sound Crusher!" Scanner released a throbbing wave of sound that shattered the raven.

Daniel- 2850  
Ichigo- 4000

"I'm not done yet! Go Soldier and Moonblade!" Both warriors launched forwards and slammed their elbows into Daniel's stomach, winding him.

Daniel- 0  
Ichigo- 4000

Turning off his duel disk, Ichigo saluted his father and sat back down.

("That didn't go as planned.") Daniel slowly came to his feet and faced the completely silent classroom. All of the students were staring at him. They couldn't believe he had lost.

Ichigo was smiling to himself for the rest of the day. Though he had only defeated a test deck of his father's, it still felt like a win in his mind. ("It's time for the 'I'm the greatest' dance.")

Griff and Krieger both stared at their roommate like he had lost his mind. "I personally think someone has gotten just a little too egotistical about the skill of their deck." Griff wished there was something he could do about it. But he'd already tried to defeat Ichigo earlier today during lunch and had been defeated. ("Whether I want to admit it or not, he's as good as he believes himself to be.")

"Hey Ichigo!"

The half-demon stopped in mid-dance and looked over at the owner of the yelling voice. "Hey, it's mister Stanhope!" Stanhope was the owner of the on-island card store. If it wasn't for him then Ichigo would have never gotten the necessary cards to defeat Eri and free himself from her penalty game, and as such he was always willing to help out the old man whenever he could. "Is there something you needed moved?"

Chuckling, the gray-bearded old man waggled a finger in the air. "Actually, I thought I could finally repay you for all of the help that you have given me over the last two months."

"There's no need for any kind of repayment, I owe you for lowering the price on that pack of cards." Ichigo blushed slightly at how kind mister Stanhope was always being with him.

Stanhope shook his head. "No, I can't let you simply work for free in my shop and not at least try to offer you a hand." Glancing around conspiratorially, he leaned in closer. "Just between you and me, there's a special pack of cards that will be arriving tonight. Have you ever heard of the Legends of Espionage booster pack series?"

Ichigo's eyes grew enormous. "You…mean…."

Smirking at the fact that he had caught the boy's interest, Stanhope nodded. "That's right…it will be in tonight at about ten o'clock." Turning away, he smiled and winked to Ichigo. "Just thought that you might like to know." With nothing left to say Stanhope walked off down the trail he had come from.

Griff and Krieger, thanks to demon hearing, had heard it loud and clear. "So…what's the Legends of Espionage series?"

Ichigo had switched to his 'today is a good day' dance. "The Legends of Espionage set is a special side set made only for a few special warrior decks. And mine is one of them!"

Griff rolled his eyes. "Great, so your deck is going to get even better."

Krieger sighed. ("I don't think Ichigo needs another ego boost today.")

Ichigo was too busy dancing to care.

Much later that evening Ichigo was standing in front of the store tapping his feet impatiently. ("Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on….")

Griff rolled his eyes. ("Why did I even bother coming along?")

Krieger sighed and waited quietly next to his roommate.

An explosion from inside the building immediately caught all of their attention. All at once they ran in and the first thing that caught their eye was the huge hole in the back wall of the shop. "What happened in here?"

Stanhope coughed a couple of times and pointed out the hole. "Someone just grabbed the shipment!"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and rushed out after the culprit. He didn't have to run far though, because just right outside of the building was not only the box of arriving packs but the person behind it.

It was a blond-haired boy of about 5'7' in height, and with hazel eyes similar to Ichigo's. "You must be Ichigo Pilkington." Standing slowly, the medium-built boy flexed his hands against the black gloves and bodysuit he was wearing. "I knew you'd be here."

"I don't care what you do with the rest of those cards, but there's one pack in there that is mine!" Ichigo struck a dramatic pose and pointed at the box.

Stanhope, Griff and Krieger all face-fell.

"You must mean the Legends of Espionage pack," the boy held up a single pack of cards that had a silhouette of a man holding a small pistol on it. "This was my objective, and the only way you'll get it is to beat me in a duel."

Ichigo smirked and removed his backpack. A few moments later he was wearing his duel disk. "Oh really? Well then get ready to lose."

Lifting up his left arm, the boy narrowed his eyes. "Don't worry, I don't intend to. In fact…" He threw the pack over to Griff with incredible accuracy. "Hold that for me."

Ichigo rubbed his index finger under his nose. "I won't be losing to the likes of you. My Cyber Shadows are tougher than they look."

"Cyber Shadows?" The boy looked surprised…and then interested. "This should be fun. My name is Richard, by the way. So let's begin!"

Ichigo- 4000

Richard- 4000

_To be continued…_

To Seeker of the Soul: Right on both accounts.

To Rex: I would of, but it is about Chaos more than Kuribohs.

To G.O.T Nick: You are exactly right sir!

To Bobbomp: Ryu's allowed to have jokes too.

To Anime Albino: Dislike Esmin?

To GryphinWyrm7: Don't worry about it. Your story will progress fine, you just need to keep at it.

To Hogwarts-Knight: Sorry friend, but I really don't disclose information about my characters if I can avoid it.


	12. Meeting your match

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 12: Meeting your match

_Ichigo smirked and removed his backpack. A few moments later he was wearing his duel disk. "Oh really? Well then get ready to lose."_

_Lifting up his left arm, the boy narrowed his eyes. "Don't worry, I don't intend to. In fact…" He threw the pack over to Griff with incredible accuracy. "Hold that for me."_

_Ichigo rubbed his index finger under his nose. "I won't be losing to the likes of you. My Cyber Shadows are tougher than they look."_

"_Cyber Shadows?" The boy looked surprised…and then interested. "This should be fun. My name is Richard, by the way. So let's begin!"_

_Ichigo- 4000_

_Richard- 4000_

Richard cracked his knuckles. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time." From the look in his eyes, he meant every word he spoke. This wasn't just banter.

Ichigo smirked. "So I'm famous now? Wow…to think I barely lifted a finger too."

"You're not famous." Richard reached down and drew six cards off of his deck. "The only reason I know about you is because you possess something that I want."

"And what would that be?" Ichigo drew five cards, understanding that he was going second.

"Your entire deck." The blond-haired duelist threw a card onto his disk. "I set one monster face-down and end my turn."

"My whole deck huh?" Ichigo dead-panned calmly. "I think that breaks the no ante rule of the academy. Draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck and slid it into his hand. Then he threw down a different card. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Charger (1800/1900) in attack mode!" A humanoid in black steel armor cradling a battering ram appeared on the field. "Full Force Smash!" Roaring, the warrior charged and slammed his weapon right into the set creature.

Richard smirked calmly. "My monster is Thunder Bear." (1300/1800) A white and gold-colored metal bear appeared on his field. "This monster, when flipped up, allows me to search my deck for one light monster with 1500 or less attack points and add it to my hand." Removing a card from his deck, he slid it into his hand. "And since its defense is 1800, you don't destroy it."

"Are you so sure?" Ichigo pointed to the metal bear, which had cracks running down its body. With one thunderous explosion it blew apart. "Charger's special ability lets it destroy any defense mode monster it battles with after damage calculation. End turn!"

Richard chuckled and drew. "She was right…you are good. Very good in fact. However…." He held up a card, its back to Ichigo. "You're about to see a truth…and that truth is that I am better than you can ever hope to be." The card flipped over to reveal a picture of a blue and orange vortex.

"Polymerization…" Ichigo blinked a couple of times.

"That's right…" The card flickered and a swirling vortex of light appeared on the field above his head. "Get ready to be introduced to my theme…a theme you cannot defeat!" After sliding two cards from his hand into his graveyard, a humanoid form slowly lowered from out of the vortex. "Awaken, Divine Agent-Dual Steel!" (2000/800) The summoned being was a humanoid in silver and gold armor with a giant futuristic-looking sword in its hands. "Attack Charger! Slash of the Ender!" Leaping forwards, the warrior slashed Ichigo's monster in half.

Ichigo- 3800

Richard- 4000

The half-demon narrowed his eyes at the monster on his opponent's field. "Divine Agent?" Moments later his lips curled upwards. "Interesting…is this some kind of copy of my deck, just with a different set? I can understand why you would copy my deck type, but try to show some originality next time."

"Originality?" Richard trembled in anger for a few moments…and then smiled. "Your deck is the only fake! You have the audacity to call your monsters heroes and spies…they're nothing but trash and second-rate losers! For them to use the darkness to fight their battles is cowardly!"

* * *

"What's this guy talking about?" Griff scratched the back of his head in confusion.

Stanhope knew all too well though. "Do you know the legacy of Ichigo's deck?"

"Legacy of Ichigo's deck?" Krieger had never heard of anyone ever speak of Ichigo's deck. "It's his deck…and it's…his deck." In his mind there really weren't any words to describe what Ichigo's deck was. It was pretty cool…and it was what Ichigo played.

"Ichigo's deck is made up of a special set of cards that are one of a kind. No one else owns any such cards." Stanhope rubbed his hands through his beard. "And the Cyber Shadows storyline is one of a kind as well."

Griff and Krieger slowly returned their eyes to the duel, though that obscure bit of information now left plenty of questions in their minds.

* * *

"End turn for now." Richard looked slightly calmer, though he looked like he could explode again at any moment.

Ichigo drew slowly. ("What's this guy's problem? Sheesh…if he's gonna copy my deck and then challenge me then he'd better not get mad just because I point it out to him.") Looking at the drawn card, he got a wickedly evil idea. "You'll love this." Grabbing a different card from his hand, he threw it down. "Cyber Shadow-Soldier (1600/1600) in attack mode!" A cloud of black energy appeared on his field and from within it emerged a helmeted black body-suited humanoid.

Richard spat onto the ground. "Every time I see one of those fakes I feel sick. So next turn I'll tear him away with my Dual Steel."

"Wrong." Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "You used Polymerization to create a monster with only 2000 attack points…and I'm sure you'll regret that when you see this! Go Cyber Shadow Mainframe! As long as this continuous magic card is in play all Cyber Shadows in play will gain 500 attack points!" The face-up card released tendrils of dark energy that flowed into Soldier's back. (2100/1600)

"2100 attack points?" Richard's eyes widened.

"That's right, so you just wasted three cards on a fusion that I'm about to destroy! Shadow Flash!" Opening its palm, the Cyber Shadow released a beam of black energy that slammed into the shiny warrior across the field. When the beam cleared though the metal warrior was still standing, and was completely unharmed.

Ichigo- 3800

Richard- 3900

Richard pointed at his monster. "Do you think I'd summon something like Dual Steel without having an understanding of its low strength? Dual Steel cannot be destroyed as a result of battle, and therefore you are helpless against him."

Ichigo frowned and slid a card into his disk. "Then I'll just set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Richard drew with a slight smirk on his face. "You think you're so powerful…but you have yet to see my real power!" Holding up a card, he sneered. "I activate the magic card Divine Press! This can only work when I have a Divine Agent monster in play. It will force one monster on the field into defense mode, and if that monster is destroyed during this turn then you will take the overflow damage." A wave of golden light exploded from the card and slammed into Cyber Shadow-Soldier, forcing it to its knees.

Ichigo didn't flinch. He was ready.

"You expect me to run into your trap?" Richard waved a finger in the air. "That won't be happening!" Holding up a different card, he slowly placed it down onto his disk. "Come to me, Divine Agent-Dismantler." (500/1100) A gold and white-colored humanoid in armor appeared on the field. Around its waist was a tool belt and on top of its head was a miner's hat. "Now Dual Steel, attack!" The warrior hefted its weapon and charged.

Ichigo knew that Dismantler would probably negate his trap, so he decided not to activate it. ("Sorry Soldier.") His warrior silently was slashed in half.

Ichigo- 3400

Richard- 3900

"I'm not done yet!" Richard pointed at Ichigo. "Go Dismantler!" Nodding, the mechanic monster ran forwards and slammed a metal wrench down on Ichigo's shoulder.

Ichigo- 2900

Richard- 3900

Ichigo brushed off his shoulder. "Are you done?"

"Far from it!" Richard pointed at the set card. "When Dismantler deals life point damage to my opponent, all face-down cards on my opponent's field are revealed! Then all traps are destroyed!" The face-down card flipped up to reveal Mirror Force. "Such a shame, but don't worry. Even if you had activated it I can discard one card from my hand to negate it with Dismantler's effect. Oh wait…" He left the sentence hanging while the trap card exploded. "End turn."

Ichigo wanted to kick himself for such a foolish mistake. ("I should have followed through…because then he would have had one less card to use against me.") Slowly he drew. "Alright…time to get serious!"

Looking at the drawn card, he smiled and held it in front of his face. "You want to fight for real? Then let's fight for real." Folding the card against his palm, he used his now free finger to point at his Mainframe card. "Special ability go!"

The card shattered and the forms of Soldier and Charger reappeared on his field. "When I sacrifice Mainframe, I can special summon two Cyber Shadows that will stay in play until the end of the turn. Though they cannot attack or be sacrificed, I have a different use for them both!"

Using his fingers, he flipped up the drawn card so his opponent could see it. "Go Polymerization!" Both of his monsters were pulled into a vortex of darkness. "Two can play at the fusion game, and trust me when I say I'm the better! Come out now, Cyber Shadow-Jet Charger!" (3500/0) A tall burly warrior holding onto a battering ram many times its size appeared on the field. "Attack Dismantler!" Nodding, the warrior charged forwards and ran over the mechanic. Without losing any speed it also plowed past Richard and took a huge portion of his life points with it.

Ichigo- 2900

Richard- 900

Ichigo pointed at his returning monster. "Jet Charger, after attacking, goes into defense mode." The warrior fell to one knee and dropped his battering ram. "End turn."

Richard drew. "I'm going to make you pay for that! You think your fusion can beat mine now that it is in defense mode?" He pointed at Jet Charger. "Slash of the Ender!" Dual Steel leapt forward and in one slash took Ichigo's monster apart.

Ichigo smirked and pointed at the battering ram of Jet Charger, which was still on the field. "You triggered my monster's other effect." The battering ram, which had jet engines attached to its back, launched forward and slammed into Dual Steel, blowing it apart. "When Jet Charger is destroyed as a result of battle, I may destroy one monster on your field."

Richard growled and slid a card into his disk. "Then I set one card face-down on the field and then one monster face-down as well. End turn."

Ichigo drew. "Well I stopped your charge pretty quick, didn't I?" Taking a card from his hand, he threw it down. "Go Cyber Shadow-Sentinel!" (1500/1300) A silver-colored metal robot appeared on his field. "Then I play the equipment magic card Defense Armor!" All around the body of the robot new thick steel armor appeared. "This card will raise the attack and defense of Sentinel by 300 points! Also, when it would be destroyed the Armor will be instead." His hand rose to point at the defense card. "Do your stuff Sentinel!" The robot released a blast of energy that hurtled across the field and slammed into the set monster.

Richard held up the card and then placed it face-up on his disk. "Divine Agent-Gas Grenadier (1300/1800) has just enough defense points to withstand your attack."

Ichigo grimaced slowly. "End turn."

"Now whose charge got stopped?" Richard drew, and when he saw the drawn card he licked his lips. "This will be delicious."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow slowly. ("What did he draw?")

First Richard placed a card down face-up on his disk. "I summon Divine Agent-Sniper (900/1400) in defense mode." A gold and silver armored warrior holding a rifle appeared on his field in a crouching position. "As long as this monster is in play, you cannot attack it as long as I have another Divine Agent out. Also…" He slid a card into his disk. "Equipment magic cards make this guy's day, because when I equip him with Sacred Op, his attack points are increased by 300 and he can attack you directly while in defense mode." The rifle in the warrior's hands disappeared and was replaced by a golden version of itself. "Fire!" Shouldering the rifle, the monster released a single shot that slammed into Ichigo's shoulder. (1200/1400)

Ichigo- 1700

Richard- 900

"I'm not done yet though, because I set one card face-down. End turn." Richard glanced at the set card once…and then smiled again.

Glancing at the set card, Ichigo slowly drew. ("Whatever that is….it's dangerous.") Throwing the drawn card down, the half-demon smiled regardless. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Berserker (1900/1200) to the field in attack mode!" A black body-suited warrior with a curved sword appeared on the field. "Attack Gas Grenadier!" Snarling, the warrior leapt forward and cut the Divine Agent down.

"Big mistake, half-rate!" Richard pointed at his set card. "Go Blast with Chain! I equip this trap to my monster right before it is destroyed, and when this trap is sent to the graveyard I can destroy one card on your field!" Berserker blinked in surprise as he was swallowed up into an explosion of smoke and fire.

Ichigo frowned and pointed at the Sniper. "For that, I'm going to make you pay in just a moment! Go Sentinel!" The machine released a beam of energy that blew the other Divine Agent away as well.

("You just fell for it!") Richard pointed at his set card. "Reveal face-down quickplay magic card…go Focused Calculations!"

* * *

"Focused Calculations?" Stanhope gasped. "That card…it can only be part of…" Reaching over, he grabbed the pack of cards from Griff's hand and tore it open.

"What are you doing?" Griff started to reach for the cards…and stopped short when he saw that the pack had already been opened. "It's empty?"

"No…the cards were removed…" Stanhope looked at the face-up card on Richard's field. ("And I know where they went.")

* * *

"Focused Calculations?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes slowly. ("What does it do?")

Richard drew two cards. "This magic card activates when a monster of mine is destroyed. I draw two cards and take one magic card from my graveyard into my hand." Smirking, he held up the three cards. "Now then, select one of these cards. If you guess correctly what type of card it is, then you may also draw two cards. Guess wrong, and I draw one more card."

Ichigo pointed at the middle card. "It's a magic card."

Richard flipped it over to show a monster card. "Sorry, but you're wrong." He drew another card. "But you do get to summon another monster during your main phase."

Ichigo sighed and placed a card face-down onto his disk. "I set one…" His eyes widened as Sentinel exploded into dust. "What the hell happened?"

"You didn't let me finish." Richard pointed at the set monster card on his opponent's field. "You may summon another monster at the cost of one monster on your field."

Ichigo groaned. "End turn."

Richard drew. "You're a true loser…and now I'll show you my real power! Go Polar Beast-South!" (1500/1000) A red metal dragon appeared on his field. "Attack the set monster now!" Opening its jaws, the creature released a wave of energy that blew the set card apart.

Ichigo smirked and held up the card. "You just destroyed my Cyber Shadow-Screamer (350/650) and when it is flipped up your battle phase ends and I take a Cyber Shadow and Polymerization from my graveyard!" He withdrew two cards from his graveyard and added them to his hand.

Richard slapped down a different card which he had removed from his deck. "But when Polar Beast-South destroys a monster, I special summon Polar Beast-North (1500/1000) to the field in attack mode!" A blue metal dragon appeared on the field. "And then I use Polymerization to fuse these two creatures together and create Polar Dragon!" (2000/3000) A red and blue metal dragon appeared on the field in a crouching position. "As long as this monster remains in play I can fuse monsters from my hand or field without need of Polymerization. Also, each turn I draw an extra card. So I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. ("What now Pilkington? How are you going to turn this around?") Looking at his hand, the half-demon knew of only one way. "It looks likes I'm going to have to call in the specialists!" Snapping two cards from his hand around, he smiled. "Cyber Shadow-Assassin (1000/800) and Cyber Shadow-Soldier…do you know what these two do?"

"They do nothing, because they have no effects." Richard narrowed his eyes slowly.

Ichigo grinned and held up another card. "Well now you get to see my real power! Go Polymerization!" A swirling vortex started to appear on the field…

Richard threw back his head and laughed. "You fool…." His laughter stopped and his face turned stern. "You're too soft! Reveal face-down trap card! Go Imprisonment Field!" A glowing barrier of light appeared on the field. "This rare trap card will not only negate your magic card, but now all magic cards with similar effects will be sent from your deck to your graveyard! And all this at the bargain price of two hand cards!" He threw out his hand and smirked. "Well?"

Ichigo, hands shaking, removed a good ten cards from his deck and slid them into his graveyard. ("My strategy…is supposed to make fusion possible no matter the situation…but…now all my methods are gone.") He closed his eyes and felt despair close in. ("Just like that I'm beaten.")

_To be continued…_

To Seeker of the Soul: Trust me, the Legends of Espionage packs are like the Supreme Duelist Series…all of the cards are rare.

To Hogwarts-Knight: You'll have to see, won't you?

To G.O.T. Nick: Something like a reality check.

To Rex: Kuriboh's behind Chaos? Eh……

To Water Duelist: I thank you for your critic, and am not just honored but humbled by the fact that you think so highly of my work. Please, keep up the reading and let me know if I do anything wrong ever.

To wolfy: Indeed.

To Adriel: Sorry about that, but I try to fix it.

To Bobbomp: Another Cyber Shadow deck? Nope, because the Cyber Shadow cards are unique. There's only one set of them in the world.

To Anime Albino: He's coming, keep your pants on.

To Whitewolf:

Eh, it was a friend thing.

Parent's Day is coming after the Chaos arc ends.

Once again…..try e-mailing me the web address, since this site doesn't like it when you try to post them in the reviews.


	13. Finding your strength

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 13: Finding your strength

_Richard threw back his head and laughed. "You fool…." His laughter stopped and his face turned stern. "You're too soft! Reveal face-down trap card! Go Imprisonment Field!" A glowing barrier of light appeared on the field. "This rare trap card will not only negate your magic card, but now all magic cards with similar effects will be sent from your deck to your graveyard! And all this at the bargain price of two hand cards!" He threw out his hand and smirked. "Well?"_

_Ichigo, hands shaking, removed a good ten cards from his deck and slid them into his graveyard. ("My strategy…is supposed to make fusion possible no matter the situation…but…now all my methods are gone.") He closed his eyes and felt despair close in. ("Just like that I'm beaten.")_

Stanhope rubbed his beard nervously. "Such a powerful card….and now Ichigo has no way to fuse monsters. That is a key method of his deck, so if he can't figure out some way to turn this around soon then he will lose."

Richard smirked at Ichigo. "Imprisonment field does have one upside for you though, and that is that you can draw a card."

Ichigo barely heard the words; because he was too busy trying to figure out a way to win. ("Now he can fuse without any problems and all I can do is stand here and let him.")

Richard saw the despair in the eyes of his opponent, and he felt glee. "This is my strength…and this is the truth. In the world of Duel Monsters the Cyber Shadows are the ultimate force of spies, but for them to call themselves heroes is an atrocity. They are not heroes. All they are is dirty weaklings who must call upon darkness to fuel their power." Holding up his deck, he sneered. "The Divine Agents was created by a single warrior who had been trained under Boss herself, and he understood that the methods of the Cyber Shadows were wrong. So he created his own group…a group who use the light and do not hide from their enemies like cowards."

Ichigo slowly lifted his eyes. "I was considering surrendering…but now I'm going to defeat you." He drew. "The Cyber Shadows are heroes. Because they use methods that others look down upon they are considered evil though. Well now I'll show you that just because you use the darkness doesn't mean that you are the darkness!" Snapping the card around, he didn't smile this time. "Pot of Greed." He drew two new cards and added them to his hand. "Then I summon Cyber Shadow-Retriever (1000/1000) in defense mode." A silver-colored robot appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Richard drew twice. At the sight of one of the card he snickered. "You plan on using Retriever to get back a monster from your graveyard? Not a chance! Presenting another card from the pack, Shield Crush! This magic card destroys one defense mode monster immediately!" His played card appeared on the field and released a wave of green energy that shattered the robot. "And since it was destroyed by my magic card, you don't get to bring back a lost monster."

Ichigo ground his teeth quietly, his eyes reflecting the frustration he was having with the fact that he couldn't use fusion.

Smirking, Richard motioned to his monster. "First my dragon switches into attack mode." Snarling, the metal beast lifted its head to point at Ichigo. "Then I order it to finish you off!" Slowly, a blue ball of energy charged up within the maw of the monster…

Ichigo motioned to his set card. "Not so fast! Activate A Hero Emerges! When this trap is played you select one card at random from my deck and it is special summoned to the field if it is a monster!" Holding up his hand, he glared. "So choose."

Richard pointed at the center one. "I hope you're lucky."

Ichigo frowned and slapped the card down. "Therefore I special summon Cyber Shadow-Assassin (1000/800) in defense mode!" A black-clothed humanoid appeared on his field in a crouching position just in time to intercept the attack and get torn to shreds.

Richard sighed and placed a card onto his disk. "Before I end my turn I summon Divine Agent-Gambler (300/1600) in defense mode. End turn."

Ichigo drew slowly. ("What am I going to do? Without Polymerization or any of my substitutes, I'm left with the normal Cyber Shadows. While they're all cool, they don't possess the necessary strength to face most of monsters that my opponent has. Then again…") He looked at the drawn card and slid it into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field and summon Cyber Shadow-Ninja (1100/200) in defense mode." A green-haired woman appeared on his field in a crouching position. "End turn."

Richard drew twice. "You're going down, weakling. I summon Divine Agent Vehicle (1200/900) in attack mode." A golden jet fighter appeared on the field. "And then I play the equipment magic card Thunder Cannon!" A metal rod appeared on the back of the fighter. "This card increases a machine Divine Agent's attack points by 500!" (1700/900) "Also, when my monster attacks you cannot use traps. Fire!" The jet whined and rod spat a wave of lightning that blew the ninja apart. "End turn for now, since I don't know what that card is."

Ichigo drew. ("Damn it….attack me.") "I summon Cyber Shadow-Guardian (0/2200) in defense mode. End turn." A heavy silver robot appeared on his field in a crouching position.

Richard drew his next two cards with a calm smile on his face. "Your monster is powerful, but I will crush it soon. I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn for now. But remember…I will break this stalemate."

"So you say." Ichigo drew. "I set a monster and end my turn."

Richard drew twice…and sneered. "Your time is up! Reveal face-down Royal Decree! As long as this continuous trap remains in play all trap cards other than itself are negated!"

Ichigo nearly choked on his tongue.

A vortex appeared around Richard's Gambler. "I fuse Divine Agent-Gambler together with Divine Agent-Angel (2000/800) to create Divine Agent-Lady Luck!" (2300/1000) A woman in golden robes and holding a golden sword appeared on his field. "This monster, when summoned, lets me draw three cards. However, I cannot play them until the start of the next turn. Now Lady Luck, attack Guardian!" The woman seemed to glide across the field and with one flick of her wrist the machine was destroyed. "Then I attack the set monster with Polar Dragon!" His metal creature roared and spat a blast of magnetic energy that slammed harmlessly into the body of the set card. "What?"

Ichigo motioned to his field, which now had a metal door in front of it. "Cyber Shadow-Base (0/2000) when flipped up lets me take a Cyber Shadow from my deck and add it to my hand!" Ichigo glanced at all of the cards in his deck and nodded. ("My best chance…don't fail me.")

Richard sighed and nodded to his opponent. "Take your turn then."

Ichigo drew. "Card of Sanctity lets us both draw until we have six cards in our hand." He drew four cards and Richard drew one. ("All monsters? Whatever….if this doesn't work I'm dead anyway.") Holding up a single card, he took a deep breath. "Are you ready to see if luck is on my side?"

"If luck is on your side?" Richard repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"It's simple…I'm about to use fusion." Ichigo slapped the card in his hand onto his disk. "Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh (300/200) in defense mode!" A little furball wearing a tuxedo appeared on his field. "This guy is one of the best Cyber Shadows! And I'm about to show you why! By discarding one card from my hand he can steal the top card from your deck and let me play it immediately! Go Cuteness Espionage!"

A tiny little phone-boot appeared on the field. Glancing around cautiously, the little furball squeezed inside the box and somehow slid the door shut. The entire booth slid into the ground and out of sight. A few moments later it came back up and the Kuriboh popped out with a card in its hands.

"How did he do that?" Richard blinked down at his deck. He'd never seen the creature even come near him.

Taking the card from Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh, Ichigo patted it on the head and added the card to his hand. "It's time to end this!" He took two card from his hand and flipped them over. "Cyber Shadows-Soldier and Trainer (300/1200) come forth!" The two monsters appeared on the field behind him. "These two are your end, because now I will summon my best spy!" He flipped the stolen card over. "Activate Polymerization!"

Richard pointed at the holographic representation that hovered on the field. "Polar Dragon, show your stuff." Snarling, the dragon released a blast of magnetic energy that tore the card apart. "As long as Polar Dragon is on the field, my opponent cannot fuse anything."

Ichigo's eyes widened. ("No…")

Richard held up a finger. "However, you do get to draw another card because I negated yours."

Ichigo bit his lower lip and drew. ("There has to be something that can win this for me.") "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Richard drew. "You won't win if you think your face-down card will help you." Smirking, he slid a card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Defense Crusher Cannon!" A golden cannon appeared on his field. "This card allows me to sacrifice magic and trap cards on my field to destroy defense mode monsters. So I sacrifice my equipment magic card and my Royal Decree to blow away your two monsters!" The cannon released a single earth-shaking blast that cleared away Ichigo's monsters.

Ichigo looked at his two face-down cards. ("I'm still…")

Richard held up another card. "Recognize Heavy Storm? This magic card destroys all magic and trap cards on the field!" A huge storm blew across the field and shattered Ichigo's two cards and his single one.

Now the half-demon had nothing on the field. ("I've….lost...") He fell to his knees.

"I'm not done with you yet!" Richard threw down a card. "First I summon Divine Agent-Air Scout (1300/1200) and when it is summoned I may make another normal summon during this turn!" A golden robot hawk appeared on the field. "So I sacrifice my jet fighter to summon Divine Agent-Task Master!" (1900/1700) A golden robot holding a whip appeared on the field. "Finally, I use Monster Reborn to bring back Dual Steel from the graveyard!" The golden warrior returned, giving Richard a full field of attackers. "Finally I set two cards face-down." His hand lifted to point at the unmoving Ichigo. "Begone, second-rate duelist!" All of his monsters started to charge.

_Ichigo closed his eyes and felt a burning sensation in his chest. ("Maybe Richard accidentally killed me. That would be nice.") Honestly, he didn't feel like living anymore. ("My Cyber Shadows have been defeated. Without the power to fuse monsters together there is no way for me to win. It's my whole deck type.")_

_A low growl caused him to freeze in his tracks. It was the growl of a predator on the hunt._

_Slowly, he turned around and was face to fang with a pair of jaws capable of biting him in half with no problems. ("Oh man…is this some kind of nightmare.")_

"_**Perhaps, because many have said that is what I am at my core."** The jaws withdrew just enough to reveal a pair of crimson-gold eyes that Ichigo knew far too well._

"_Eri?" The half-demon tilted his head to the side and took another step back._

_What was in front of him was a black-as-night wolf the rough size of an RV. "Jeez…you need to lay off the rich desserts they must be serving you, because you are huge."_

_The wolfess slowly narrowed her eyes and then with impossible speed spun around to send Ichigo flying with a swat of her tail. **"Idiot."**_

_After bouncing off an invisible ground a couple of times, Ichigo finally stopped sliding. "Ow…" Now he felt that burning sensation through his whole body. "Well…this is definitely an interesting dream. Maybe next the banana-throwing monkey will show up and give me a million dollars." His innocent reverie was shattered as a paw the size of chest came down onto what it was compared to, blowing the breath out of him. "Oh….hi Eri…"_

"_**Are you a coward?" **Eri's teeth were dangerously close to Ichigo's head and she seemed like she was about to bite his head off. **"And besides, are you such a pig-headed fool that you'd think your duel against this human would be an easy one?"**_

_Ichigo didn't respond. He had gone limp._

_**("Oh for the love of…")** Growling, Eri removed her paw and pushed his side with her nose a couple of times. **"Don't you dare be dead."**_

_Groaning, Ichigo slowly opened his eyes. "Please don't step on me again. That hurts a lot."_

"_**You deserve it for being such an idiot! How dare you give up so easily!"** Eri snapped her teeth close to Ichigo's face. **"Now snap out of it and get to work!"**_

"_Yes Ma'am!" Ichigo hopped up and saluted, suddenly feeling like he was in a military academy instead of a dueling academy._

Richard blinked as Ichigo's emotions changed instantly. "I'm not out yet! No hero falls so easily!" The half-demon pointed at all of the charging monsters. "And your guys are about to play a game of chicken! Let's see if they flinch or not!"

"Wha…" Richard blinked a few times in surprise as a black-clothed form appeared on Ichigo's field. "How? I killed your monsters already!"

"That you did. And you triggered my graveyard fusion card." Ichigo held up a card he had removed from his graveyard. "When you destroyed two Cyber Shadows on my field, you triggered my Somber Mission magic card. While it is in the graveyard and you destroy two Cyber Shadows with an effect, I may special summon one monster from my fusion deck with level stars equal to their combined levels. Since Guardian was a four and Kuriboh was a one, I can summon a five! Special Operative-Snake (2000/1800) arrives!" The bandanna-wearing form of Ichigo's favorite fusion appeared on the field. "And Somber Mission raises his attack points by 500 too!" (2500/1800)

Richard frowned as all of his monsters returned to their positions on his field. "End turn."

Snake looked back at Ichigo and nodded. It knew what was coming.

Ichigo returned the nod and drew, watching as his monster disappeared. "During my standby phase the special summoned monster is returned to the fusion deck."

Richard sneered. "You just can't help but try to use fusions, can you?"

Ichigo shook his head. "That was the last time you'll see another purple-bordered card on my disk."

"Oh?" Richard smirked. "So no more fusions?"

Ichigo held up the drawn card. "Activate Reload. This magic card lets me shuffle my hand into my deck and draw the same number of card that was shuffled in." Sliding four cards off of his deck, Ichigo looked at the five monsters on his opponent's field and nodded. "Here we go! Cyber Shadow-Trainer (300/1200) in defense mode!" A grizzled old man in a black body-suit appeared on his field in a crouching position.

"You think he'll make a difference?" Richard waved his hand across the five monsters on his field. "He's a little outgunned, don't you think?"

"That's your opinion!" Ichigo slammed a card into his disk. "Equipment magic card activate!" A futuristic rocket launcher appeared over the shoulder of his warrior. "Special Operative Weapon-Stinger allows me to destroy up to two monsters with 1500 or more attack points than the equipped creature before it is destroyed! So good-bye Dual Steel and Lady Luck!" A pair of rockets exploded out of the mouth of the weapon and blew the two fusions apart. Then the Stinger shuddered and shattered into pieces. "Then I set two cards face-down on the field and end my turn."

Richard drew twice. "Hm….interesting play. However," he looked at the drawn cards and smirked, "You're about to be defeated. I sacrifice Air Scout to summon Divine Agent-Shadow Dancer!" (1950/1850) A woman in thin golden clothing appeared on the field and lifted her arms, which were wearing platinum arm blades. "Attack the Trainer now!" She slid across the ground and brought the blades towards Ichigo's monster.

Ichigo pointed to his set card and it flipped up. "Go Shadow Force!" The blade was stopped short by a silver barrier. "This trap card negates your attack and increases my monster's attack by your monster's attack! Also, the rest of your attacks are negated." (2250/1850)

Richard licked his lips and slid a card into his disk. "I switch Polar Dragon into defense mode and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. ("Here we go…") "I play The Warrior Returning Alive allows me to pick up one warrior monster and add it to my hand!" He caught a card from his graveyard and threw it out. "Go Cyber Shadow-Strongarm!" (1900/1300) A huge bulky warrior appeared on the field and growled angrily. "And when Trainer is on the field, it gains 500 extra attack points!" (2400/1300) "Then I switch Trainer into attack mode! Go Strongarm!" The warrior leapt forward and punched the head off of the Taskmaster.

Ichigo- 1700

Richard- 400

"And now it ends, go Trainer!" The grizzled warrior launched across the field and lifted its hand to punch down the Shadow Dancer.

"It's never over!" Richard waved his hand over his set card and it flipped up. "Go Amassed Defenses! This trap card switches all monsters on my field into defense mode and raises their collective defenses by 1000 each!"

Divine Agent- Shadow Dancer (1950/2850)

Polar Dragon (2000/4000)

Ichigo growled as his monster's attack was deflected.

Ichigo- 1100

Richard- 400

Richard smirked and drew twice. "You get points for trying, but it still isn't enough. So now I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face-down card!"

Ichigo snickered. "Thanks, you triggered my trap!" The targeted card flipped up. "Shadow Theft lets me steal your card and use it, so I'll destroy your left card!" Richard's face-up card warped to Ichigo's field and released a blast of wind that shattered the set card.

Richard frowned slightly…and then smirked. "Clever move, but it doesn't matter. You see, I am ready for you. Shadow Dancer's special ability activates now! By discarding one card from my hand my monster's attack points go up by 400!" (2350/1850) "Attack now!" The warrior danced forwards and brought her arm blades down in an arc, cutting Trainer apart. "And I end my turn with the knowledge that your Strongarm has lost all of its attack points."

Ichigo- 1000

Richard- 400

Ichigo drew. ("Okay….well there goes my attack advantage.") "Go Monster Reborn! This magic card lets me revive one monster from my graveyard! So I return Cyber Shadow-Retriever (1000/1000) to the field in defense mode!" A silver-colored crab robot appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Then I switch Strongarm into defense mode. End turn."

Richard drew twice. "You're finished! I set two cards face-down on the field and then I turn Polar Dragon into attack mode! Attack now!" Both of his monster's released their attacks and destroyed Ichigo's remaining monsters.

Ichigo caught a card that was spat out of his graveyard. "I return Cyber Shadow-Screamer (350/650) to my hand through the effect of Retriever."

Richard closed his eyes and smirked. "And Screamer will let you get back a Polymerization card and a Cyber Shadow. But with Polar Dragon in play Polymerization is a wasted card."

Ichigo drew. "You just let me worry about that." He drew and placed a card onto his disk. "I set one monster in defense mode. End turn."

Richard drew. "Let's get this out of the way. Go Polar Dragon!" The machine monster roared and blew the monster apart. And sure enough, his disk beeped to let him know that his battle phase had been ended.

Ichigo pulled two cards out of his graveyard. "You just go ahead and treat these two cards like they are nothing. I'll show you."

"You'll show me nothing, since you can't use fusion. End turn." Richard snickered calmly. This duel was his, because unlike his opponent he could use fusion anytime he wished.

Ichigo looked down at his deck. ("There has to be an answer…I know it. What can I use in my deck to defeat him if I don't have fusion?") Then the answer hit him. ("It's a long shot, but I've got nothing to lose.") Closing his eyes, he called upon every drop of strength in his luck to give him a draw necessary to call out the most powerful monsters in his deck.

"What're you getting so focused about?" Richard smirked. "You can't use fusion, and therefore your strategy is useless."

"Not quite…" Ichigo's eyes opened and he drew, holding the drawn card up and adding it to his hand. "It's time for me to wake them."

"Wake who?" Richard's smirk slowly wilted.

"The Steel Titans."

_To be continued…_

To Darkstar: Let me know if you need any help with your battles.

To Adriel: I made those lines with the ruler option on the quick-edit screen.

To Gryphinwyrm: I look forward to seeing how you use my little furball.

To Seeker of the Soul: Well, we'll see who wins in the end, won't we?

To G.O.T. Nick: Naw, he really can't.

To whitewolf: Don't try to second-guess me, because when people try second-guessing weird and horrible things happen in my story.

To Rex: It all depends on the card he drew.

To Bobbomp: The dumb-ass delegation-; Right….well then….

To Anime Albino: See, he came, he stole, then he left.


	14. Heart of a Hero

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 14: Heart of a Hero

_Ichigo looked down at his deck. ("There has to be an answer…I know it. What can I use in my deck to defeat him if I don't have fusion?") Then the answer hit him. ("It's a long shot, but I've got nothing to lose.") Closing his eyes, he called upon every drop of strength in his luck to give him a draw necessary to call out the most powerful monsters in his deck._

"_What're you getting so focused about?" Richard smirked. "You can't use fusion, and therefore your strategy is useless."_

"_Not quite…" Ichigo's eyes opened and he drew, holding the drawn card up and adding it to his hand. "It's time for me to wake them."_

"_Wake who?" Richard's smirk slowly wilted._

"_The Steel Titans."_

"The Steel Titans?" Richard frowned slightly…and then his smirk returned. "You mean the set of machine monsters that tend to damage their owner as much as the opponent? With only 1000 life points left I doubt you'll do much more than wipe yourself out if you summon one."

"Not quite." Ichigo held up a single card in his hand. "First, Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh! Defense mode!" (300/200) The little tuxedo-wearing furball reappeared on his field. "Now I discard Polymerization for his effect! Cuteness Espionage!" Giggling, the Kuriboh disappeared. Moments later it reappeared swinging on a rope past Richard's deck. Then it returned to Ichigo's field and handed him the card it had stolen.

Growling, Richardglared at the monster. "I hate that thing."

"Don't worry; he'll be leaving in a minute." Ichigo flipped the card over to reveal Pot of Greed. After drawing two cards heheld one up. "Now I play the magic card Change of Tactics! This magic card lets me take one monster from my hand and one other card as well. They are shuffled into my deck and I take a monster from my deckinto my hand that is the same level as the shuffled monster!" He shuffled two cards into his deck and removed one.

"So what did you shuffle back into your deck?" Richard was only mildly curious, because his opponent had already summoned during this turn.

Ichigo looked at his new card and nodded slightly. "I shuffled Steel Titan-Rex back into my deck. Instead…I'm going to summon somebody different to the field!"

* * *

"A different Steel Titan?" Griff blinked in surprise at that declaration. "There are others?"

"Yes." Stanhope nodded. "There are four in total. And so far Ichigo has only shown two of them. Let's see which of the other two he searched for."

A low growl behind them took their attention away from the duel. All of them turned around slowly to see an RV-sized wolf sitting calmly just a few feet away.

Griff and Krieger both yelled and leapt backwards.

Stanhope just smiled. "Hello there Eri. Out for your evening walk?"

"Yes." The wolfess brought her eyes to the dueling field. "Did he stop acting stupid?"

"Well…he's trying now." Stanhope swear-dropped and looked back to the duel.

"H..h…h…h…h……h….how?" Griff pointed at Eri. "Who are you and why do you sound like Eri?"

"I sound like Eri because I am Eri." Eyeing the brown-skinned boy coldly, she continued to watch the field.

"You can't be Eri, because she isn't….er…."

"Are you so stupid to think that wolf demons, like all other demons, don't have real forms?" Not waiting for an answer, her eyes returned to the duel.

* * *

Ichigo slid another card into his disk. "Go Soul Exchange! This magic card allows me to sacrifice monsters on your field to summon my own! So I'll sacrifice your two monsters and Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh to summon out Steel Titan-Ray!" (2500/2300) A single scream of rage shook the earth and from the nearby ocean a huge steel form emerged. "This monster can only be special summoned, and requires no sacrifices to be called out. However, if I did so then I'd lose 3000 life points. So I sacrificed three monsters to negate 1000 points of damage per summon!"

The Titan was a single army-green, with peg-like legs and a body more accustomed to fighting in the water than on the land. Despite that however, it looked more than capable of fighting. "Steel Titan-Ray special ability activates! Now I will special summon Ray Tokens (2500/2300) equal to the number of monsters I sacrificed to negatehis damageeffect!" Three copies of the towering steel monster appeared on the field. "Because of Soul Exchange I can't attack, so I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

Richard drew, trying the ignore the drops of sweat that were starting to bead on his forehead. "So…you think that your pitiful metal trashcans will be able to…" Whatever else he was going to say was drowned out by the enraged screams of the four Rays.

"I wouldn't make them angry if I were you. Rex might be dangerous, but at least he's got his temper under control. These guys are much worse." Ichigo looked dead serious.

"You talk about them like they are real. How pitiful." Richard smirked and held up a card. "My last Polymerization…and it will be the last time I'll need to call out a monster anyway! Now watch as your metal monsters all disappear! I fuse Divine Agent-Betrayer (1350/1700) and Divine Agent-Soldier (1600/1500) to create…the leader."

"The leader?" Ichigo's eyes widened slightly.

"Yes. A monster capable of matching and even surpassing the strength of Boss herself!" The warrior that formed on his field was a humanoid in a gold and white power suit. Its face was uncovered and revealed a white-haired man with a scar over one eye, which was squeezed shut. "Divine Agent-Solidus!" (2000/1500) Solidus looked up at each of the towering monsters with his one good eye and calmly flexed his fingers.

"Solidus?" Ichigo narrowed his gaze at the new monster. "He's powerful…but Ray is stronger."

"That will change in but a moment." Richard motioned to his face-down cards. "Open equipment magic cards!" Two of the three cards flipped up. "First the equipment magic card Laser Katana will raise the attack power of my monster by 500 points. Also, now I cannot take damage from its death." A glowing blue sword appeared strapped to the warrior's side. (2500/1500) "I'm not done yet though, because I also equip him with the magic card Supreme Machine Gun! This card will allow him to attack all monsters on the field!" A hi-tech gun appeared in the left hand of Solidus.

"That means…" Ichigo gulped.

"Right," Richard pointed at all four of the Steel Titans. "Die!" Solidus turned into a living blur, seeming to be everywhere at once as he attacked. Then he reappeared on Richard's field.

Ichigo braced himself as all four of his Steel Titans were blown away. "How…" the rest of his words were drowned out as smoke and fire consumed him entire field.

"If you are wondering how Solidus didn't die, it is because his effect makes him impossible to destroy in battle."

* * *

"Ichigo…" Eri looked over at Richard and growled angrily, baring her teeth. ("Incredible power…but he can't actually think that it is over yet.")

"Oh man, Ray was destroyed before it got a chance to attack." Griff looked over at Solidus and shivered. "Without the power to fuse, how is Ichigo going to beat something like that?"

Stanhope looked over at Ichigo's field and narrowed his eyes. "There's still a chance…but only if Ichigo is willing to risk it all."

* * *

Richard started to laugh loudly into the night, the explosions that continued to shake Ichigo's field drowning his sound out slightly. "Do you understand now fool? My monsters are the true warriors!"

His voice was silenced by a single roar of rage that echoed from within the cloud. Slowly, a steel shape rose up out of the darkness and brought its eyeless head down to aim at Solidus and Richard.

"Impossible…" Richard whispered breathlessly.

"Trap card activate!" The smoke cleared to reveal Ichigo. "Battle Replacement lets me special summon a monster with the same level as the destroyed monster. However, the summoned monster has no effects. Steel Titan-Rex is my choice." (2800/2000) The metal monster roared and slammed a foot into the ground, shaking the earth.

Gritting his teeth, Richard looked at Ichigo. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

"As you should." Richard drew. "I flip up my trap card! Go Attack Boost! This will raise my monster's attack points by 500 permanently. Attack Rex now!" (3000/1500) Solidus blurred again and Rex roared in confusion as it was suddenly chopped in half. "Ha! I knew your face-down card wasn't a trap!"

Ichigo- 800

Richard- 400

Ichigo pointed at his set card. "Actually…" (With Ray and Rex gone, there are only two Steel Titans left for me to play. One is Arsenal, but it is a fusion and therefore won't be able to help me. As for the remaining one…") The card flipped up. "Encore Performance activates now! This trap card repeats the effect of the last card I played! So activate Battle Replacement!" An echoing screech echoed through the sky. "My last Steel Titan has come. He may not have an effect, but he has come!"

The monster that landed on Ichigo's field had a body built for flight, with huge jets attached to its back and aframe resembling a bird's body. "Steel Titan-Crane in attack mode!" (2000/2000) Tilting back its head, the metal monster screeched into the night. "Because of Battle Replacement his effect doesn't activate."

Snickering, Richard slid a card into his disk. "Then this duel is done. Solidus will wipe you out in the next turn."

Ichigo closed his eyes and trembled quietly. ("Even the Steel Titans can't beat this guy….what's left that can make the difference?") He couldn't think of any card capable of turning this around now. His deck had fusion and the Steel Titans, and without either of them he possessed no methods that could win. ("Unless…") He drew. One look at the card told him what he needed to do. "It's time to finish this, Richard."

"I couldn't agree more. So play your last card." The blond-haired boy couldn't believe that he was going to win. ("I thought too much of you, Ichigo Pilkington.")

Looking at the drawn card for a few more moments, Ichigo slid it into his disk. "I activate a magic card. One of the most dangerous magic cards I could play at this point. If it works then I will have the necessary method to defeat your monster…and if it fails then I lose. Go Fate's Call!" An angel in golden robes appeared over the field. "Now she selects to either destroy my monster or deal me its attack in damage, or she will allow me to send it back into my deck and special summon out one monster of the same level as it."

* * *

"So this is what comes down to." Stanhope rubbed his beard nervously. He really wanted hisnew card packsback.

"I know you can do it Ichigo!" Krieger shouted.

Griff gulped audibly.

Up near the front, Eri closed her eyes. ("Please let him win.")

* * *

The angel giggled and flew down to land in front of Ichigo. Smiling, she nodded and disappeared.

Richard paled.

Ichigo smirked and caught a card that was spat out of his deck. "It's time for me to summon Snake!"

"Snake?" Richard yelled. "He's a fusion you fool!"

"That's the normal Snake…but this one is the one who has experienced the world and learned its secrets." Ichigo held up the card. "The ultimate Cyber Shadow! Come out now, Special Operative-Solid Snake!" (2800/2500) Snake appeared on his field…and yet somehow he was something more. There was an aura of experience around him that radiated focus.

And behind him, Ichigo's eyes reflected the same hard strength. "This battle is finished, one way or another!"

"The only personwhose battle is finished is you! Your monster doesn't have enough power to fight mine!" Richard pointed at Ichigo's empty field. "And since you have no other cards it's obvious who will win a straight battle."

Ichigo pointed at Solidus. "Snake's special ability activates right now! Final Confrontation!"

Snake cracked his knuckles and met eyes with Solidus. _"You would betray Boss, Solidus? Why?"_

Richard's eyes widened. ("Did his monster just speak?")

Solidus lifted his gun and aimed it at Snake. _"Because she is wrong! To fight in the darkness is cowardly, and I am going to wipe away the darkness that dwells in the hearts of our men."_

Snake sighed quietly. _"Then you are lost. So be it. Prepare to battle!"_ He glanced back at Ichigo and nodded.

Returning the nod, Ichigo drew a card. "Here's how Final Confrontation works. First off, our life point totals disappear."

Richard blinked in surprise as the life point counter on his disk vanished.

Ichigo slid the drawn card into his disk. "I play the equipment magic card Special Operative Weapon-Socom!" A complex pistol appeared in Snake's hands. "This card allows the equipped monster to reduce the attack of an opponent's monster by 500 points up to ten times!" Snake pointed the weapon at Solidus and fired.

Snickering, Richard caught onto the rules of the new game. "Solidus has a special ability, you fool! It negates target magic and trap effects!" With expert movement Solidus snapped his sword up and deflected the bullet. _"I hope you can do better than that Snake!"_ Solidus relaxed slightly, seeing that he the advantage.

Ichigo frowned but nodded to Richard. "Your draw."

Richard drew. "So, I've heard of this but never thought I'd get to see it in effect. Neither of us can summon new monsters, correct? And if we draw a monster card then it is discarded and a new card is drawn. We may only play one card from our hand per turn as well."

"Both of our monsters have a life total now, which is equal to five hits." Ichigo pointed at Snake. "When they battle the weaker monster loses one point. First to reach zero loses."

Glancing at the drawn card, Richard slid it into his disk. "I set one card face-down and attack!"

Solidus lifted his gun and released a stream of bullets that Snake was barely able to avoid. _"Come now Snake, I know you can do better than that!"_

Snake- 4

Solidus- 5

Ichigo drew. "I activate the magic card Emergency Boost! This card will let me sacrifice Snake's Socom to increase his attack points by 1000!" Leaping to his feet, Snake didn't even flinch when his gun exploded into dust. (3800/2500) Launching forwards, his fist slammed into the side of Solidus' face and sent the Divine Agent stumbling backwards. _"I'm not done yet!"_

Snake- 4

Solidus- 4

Richard drew. "I'll set one card face-down on the field and end my turn without attacking."

Ichigo drew. "Attack!"

Snake dove in, ready to bring down his enemy.

Richard motioned to his face-down card. "I activate the continuous trap card Power Enhancement! This card will raise the targeted monster's attack points by 1000 as well, and it gains the ability to attack twice in a row!" A pair of steel tentacles appeared on Solidus' suit. "Counter-attack!" (4000/1500)

Solidus swung his tentacles upwards and belted Snake in the ribs, sending him flying back to Ichigo's field. _"There's no chance that you'll be able to win against me Snake! If I can surpass Boss then there is no way you can surpass me!"_

Snake- 3

Solidus- 4

Ichigo looked at his drawn card and then at Snake, who didn't look all that well. ("He's taking some pretty heavy hits…but we can still win.") "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Richard drew. "I discard a monster." He drew again. "Now I'll play the magic card Cold Wave! This effect will prevent either of us from activating magic or trap cards during this turn or the next!" Ice formed over his magic and trap zone, as well as Ichigo's. "Now take this!"

Solidus leapt forward and released a snapped his sword in rapid number of arcs, leaving numerous cuts along Snake's body as the agent tried to dodge the attacks._ "You're too weak!"_

Snake- 2

Solidus- 4

Without skipping a beat the Divine Agent drove his knees upwards with impossible force and blew all of the breath out of Snake's body with one gut strike. Then, with his opening secured, he placed the barrel of his gun to Snake's forehead and pulled the trigger. Though if it had been real life Snake would have died, it still looked painful to watch as the spy was sent flying backwards under a hail of bullets.

Snake- 1

Solidus- 4

Richard licked his lips. ("This is it…it all ends here.") "End turn."

Solidus eyed the now limping and badly injured Snake disdainfully. _"Is that all you have? The mighty Solid Snake is supposed to be invincible. Such a shame that you're nothing to me."_

Snake stumbled to his feet and looked back at Ichigo. Then he slowly returned his eyes to his opponent. Spitting some blood onto the dirt, he growled. _"You're not one to talk about being nothing, Solidus! Now…I'll show you that legends aren't ever what they appear to be! A true hero doesn't have to be a legend; he just has to have the heart to win above all things and to fight for what he believes in!"_

Ichigo drew. "End turn." The ice over both of their fields shattered.

Richard drew. "End this Solidus!" Roaring a battle cry the super-charged warrior barreled forwards, sparks spraying across the ground from his sword, which he was holding point down into the dirt. _"Die Snake!"_

Ichigo and Snake both smirked. "Trap card open!" Snake rolled aside and Solidus shot past him like an out of control rocket. "Narrow Escape negates an attack against a Cyber Shadow monster and lets me set one card face-down on the field. That card can be activated immediately." Ichigo slid the card he had drawn into his disk.

Frowning angrily, Richard slid his drawn card into his disk. "End turn."

("It's final jeopardy time.") Ichigo looked down at his deck. ("Snake…Titans…all of you….thank you. No matter what happens next, understand that each and every one of you have fought with loyalty and bravery. I look up to all of you.") Images of each of his monsters flashed through his thoughts. ("Thank you.")

Richard and Solidus gasped in surprise at what they now saw on Ichigo's field.

Standing as a group was phantom images of every single fusion monster and monster that Ichigo had in his deck and fusion deck. All of them silently watched on as their best went head to head with the best of the Divine Agents.

Snake looked back at all of them. _"All of you…"_

All at once they saluted.

Ichigo and Snake both nodded, returning the salute.

"What kind of crap is this? How are you doing this?" Richard's voice bordered on panicked now.

Ichigo and Snake turned to look at Richard and Solidus. "This ends here! Draw!" Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck, looked at it, and smirked. "I've finally found the card to defeat you!"

"What?" Richard gasped as the phantom images disappeared.

Ichigo held up the card. "I activate the magic card Legend's Reminder! This magic card lets me revive monsters from my graveyard as long as they are Cyber Shadows. They cannot attack however and they return to my graveyard at the end of the turn!" He removed four cards from his disk and slapped them all down. "Return to me Cyber Shadow-Trainer, (300/1200) Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh, (300/200) Cyber Shadow-Soldier, (1600/1600) and Cyber Shadow-Assassin (1000/800) in defense mode!" The four called monsters appeared on his field in crouching positions. "And because of Trainer's effect, Snake gains 500 attack points!" (4300/2500)

"So what? That bonus will only last for one turn, and that won't be enough time to end this." Richard and Solidus both sneered.

Ichigo pointed at his set card. "That's what you think! Reverse card open!" The card flipped up. "Final Mission!"

"Final Mission?" Richard irises narrowed to near pin-points.

"This magic card means I lose at the end of this turn. However, I now select one Cyber Shadow on my field! This monster will gain 1000 attack points and will attack a number of times equal to the number of monsters I have on the field other than itself! Now I sacrifice all other monsters besides the selected!" His four special summoned monsters exploded into dust and Snake's eyes burned with a new fire. _"Solidus, it's over!"_ (4800/2500)

Solidus stumbled backwards, but was unable to stop the fist that broke a hole in the stomach plating of his armor.

Snake- 1

Solidus- 3

Snake withdrew his fist and slammed his forehead down against the Divine Agent's nose, crushing the bone instantly.

Snake- 1

Solidus- 2

"_You...bastard…"_ Solidus gasped out. Growling, he leapt forward and swung his sword in an arc to behead Snake.

Stepping out of the way of the attack, Snake kicked the sword out of Solidus' hands and in one smooth motion relieved his enemy of the Supreme Machine Gun. Lifting the weapon, he unloaded the whole magazine of it into Solidus' armor.

Snake- 1

Solidus- 1

At this point Solidus wasbarelyableto fight back anymore. _"I…I…will kill you…"_ Roaring, he launched forwards with impossible speed and tackled Snake, sending the spy flying away from him. _"Prepare to die!"_

For a few moments Richard actually thought that Solidus might somehow win this fight. Then those thoughts left his mind as he heard a beeping.

Solidus heard it too…

Snake stood up and revealed an item he was holding in his hands. It was a detonator. _"Whatever works, right?"_ Pressing down on the trigger, he waved.

The explosion woke up the whole island.

Snake- 1

Solidus- 0

* * *

Richard stood there, dumb-founded. "I…lost? How? My deck is better…and you couldn't use fusion. It doesn't make any sense!"

Ichigo held up his hand to point at his fallen opponent. "A hero always wins. That's my only answer for you. Now give back the cards and leave."

Richard numbly removed the five cards from his deck and dropped them all to the ground. Slowly he came to his feet and met eyes with Ichigo. "I'll get you for this. I am not done yet! So I suggest you prepare yourself, because next time I won't hold back!"

A rumbling growl behind him stopped him in mid-silence. "You steal from mister Stanhope, and try to play it off like the cards were yours to begin with? That's called stupid theft, and out of the many things I dislike stupid theft is up near the top."

Richard turned and came face to face with a set of razor-sharp fangs. "Oh…" Paling, he turned and ran away as fast a humanly possible.

Eri huffed at the retreating Richard. "If I wanted your stupid human hide, then I'd have killed you already."

"Aw, let him go." Ichigo walked over and picked up the cards. Then he walked up to Eri's side and rested an elbow against her front left leg, using it for a support. "Thanks for the pep talk, by the way."

Eri smirked slightly and moved, leaving him to fall face-first to the ground. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Turning, she padded off into the night. "Now if you will excuse me."

Stanhope watched Eri leave and then walked over to Ichigo, who was brushing himself off. "That was an amazing duel. You showed that even without access to fusion or Steel Titans you could still win."

Ichigo handed the cards to the store owner. "Here, you keep them for now. Honestly, I'm happy with my deck as it is."

Nodding, the old man slid the five cards into his shirt pocket. "They'll always be here if you want them."

Griff ran up and slapped Ichigo on the back. "Now that was awesome! I can't believe you've been holding out on us for all this time!"

After nearly coughing up a lung from the force of the slap, Ichigo blinked at Griff in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Those Steel Titans and all those cool cards you have in your deck we've never seen before! Why didn't you ever use those against some of your opponent's in the past? I'm sure that would have helped you beat Eri, and Hitokage, and…"

Ichigo glared at his roommate. "It's because I never drew them during those duels!"

"What's that have to do with anything?" Krieger walked up behind Ichigo calmly.

The half-demon turned around to face his other roommate. "It has everything to do with it! Do you think I choose which cards I draw?"

"With the way you Topdeck all of the time I'd say yes." Griff and Krieger both nodded to each other.

Ichigo face-fell. ("No respect…I get no respect at all!")

_To be continued…_

To Rex: The Titans did their job, but in the end it was the power of the Cyber Shadows that finished the duel.

To Nanashi Minimino: Because Daniel wasn't paying attention when Jennie named their son. And Rikuo likewise with Jasmine.

To Darkstar: Glad you liked the battle, and I hope you liked the end.

To Lance Murdock: You've seen them all now, but Crane's effect is going to remain a mystery until I feel the time is right to unveil it.

To Gryphinwyrm: I hope it was fun for you.

To Adriel: If there is going to be a Steel Titan-Luna, I wouldn't tell you so until I revealed it.

To G.O.T. Nick: ; His prediction wasn't a prediction. I told him what Ichigo was going to use before I finished the chapter.

To Seeker of the Soul: Eri can do that because she learned just about every trick Rikuo knows, and that is a trick Rikuo is capable of doing.

To Star AJT: I'd say they were a lot of good, circumstances of how they were countered aside.

To Bobbomp: Well it looks like Richard is quite 'toasted'? Toasted? Considering where I left the last chapter, I wouldn't apply the term toasted to him. But speak as you will.

To Anime Albino: The Kuriboh Siblings can only be called out with Five Star Twilight. And as for Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh, what do you expect? He only has 200 defense points.

To whitewolf: You are forgiven for second-guessing.


	15. The bath house scandal

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 15: The Bath House Scandal

Daniel lifted his head just in time to see Midas King march into his office. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The professor's reply was to slam something onto his desk. "Just take a look at this!" He had a look on his face that was like a parent finding out some secret of their child's.

Daniel sighed and leaned in to look at the manila folder that was on his desk now. "And just what is this?"

Opening it, his eyes bugged out and he slapped the folder shut immediately. "What the hell are you showing me this for?" From the blush in his cheeks, the contents of the folder must have been something interesting.

"I found those during my search of the Osiris Red dorms! Now how about you explain why such things were in the room of your students!" Midas' finger came incredibly close to Daniel's face.

The half wolf-demon stood up and returned the point. "How about you explain why you were snooping around the rooms of the students that are my responsibility!"

Now they were both pointing at each other….and neither could really explain themselves.

Finally Daniel lowered his hand. "How about we try this? I'll see what I can find out and you see what you can find out. First to find out blows the lid on this scandal and takes the credit?"

"Are you implying that we should bet with a concern dealing with the students of this academy?" Midas quirked his lips slightly. If there was one thing he liked, it was a good bet.

Daniel nodded. "What's the matter King, don't think you can win?"

"We'll see." Midas turned and walked out of the office.

* * *

Ichigo sighed and sat back in his chair. "So let me get this straight dad. You got into a bet with Professor King, and the winner of the bet is he who figures out the parties responsible for this 'scandal'?"

Daniel nodded to his son, and then to Griff and Krieger. "And I need your help."

"Our help? What good are we going to do?" Griff asked.

"I need all of you guys because the evidence was found in this dorm and as students each of you are much less conspicuous than I could be." Daniel's hand came down to point at Ichigo. "You're the biggest key to my plan though. Only you can go where I need a pair of super-strength eyes and ears."

"Only me?" Ichigo didn't like where this was going.

Daniel nodded. "It's time to see just how much control you have over Luna's Blessings."

Ichigo paled, immediately understanding what his father was implying. "Whoa! Hang on a second, what are you talking about? If you mean what I think you mean then no way!"

Smirking, Daniel held up a single photograph and flicked it to Ichigo. "Take a look at this before you argue."

Ichigo caught the picture and glanced at it. His eyes widened and he brought his full attention to look at it. For a few moments he was silent, and then he crumpled the photo up. "That….that…"

Griff and Krieger shrugged to each other and then looked to Daniel questioningly.

Daniel's reply was simple. "Someone has gotten camera-happy at the Obelisk Blue girls' bath house. And one of their favorite targets for photography is…"

Ichigo cracked his knuckles and stood up. "Let's get this done. I want to meet this peeping tom, so I can rip his eyes out."

"But can you even use the power of Luna to turn into a girl anymore?" Krieger shut his mouth when Ichigo replied with a wilting glare. "Uh…never mind."

Ichigo took his deck out of his pocket and looked at it. "I know I can if I want to. And this is the only time I'm ever going to want to."

Daniel nodded and stood up. "I'll see you guys tonight. I've got to go make preparations."

* * *

Ichigo ran her hands through her hair slowly, remembering that her best chance to avoid being detected was to act natural. Then she remembered where she was going and all forms of focus disappeared. ("Umm….maybe I shouldn't be doing this.")

_("Perhaps you would like me to do this instead?")_ Ahran's voice rang in her head. _("I don't have any fear of women.")_

("What fear of women are you talking about?") Ichigo growled angrily. ("I don't fear women!")

_("Oh really? I can understand that are trying to convince yourself otherwise, but the truth is that you are afraid. Don't worry, I'll help.")_

Growling louder, Ichigo cut off her link to Ahran. "I'll show you right now I'm not afraid!"

* * *

Daniel looked down from his perch in a nearby tree and watched Ichigo head inside. "Now remember kid, don't blow your cover and don't let anyone get too good of a look at you. If they do then you'll probably be found out."

"_I wasn't exactly planning on announcing that I am here,"_ Ichigo's voice replied to him from the microphone hidden between her ears.

* * *

"So Eri, what's the deal with you and Ichigo?" Sammy ran a wash-cloth across her face and contently sighed as she sank into the hot water of the spring located inside the bath house.

Ashley nodded and slid in next to her roommate. "Yeah, I've been really curious just what you have been doing with him lately."

"It's none of your business, but…" Eri froze up and sniffed the air. "……I plan on killing him in a moment." She stood up and stomped out of the spring, eyes glowing red.

* * *

Ichigo didn't intend to remove her clothing. What she intended to do was find the person taking the photos and avoid the areas where she shouldn't be in the first place. Then a scent hit her nose and she flushed red. ("Eri…")

At the moment she was in a locker room that luckily was devoid of people. But from the smell that was about to change. ("What do I do? What do I do?")

Whether luck or a deity was watching over Ichigo was unknown, but in her moment of panic she slipped on a wet part of the tile and crashed to the floor just as Eri came in, effectively removing her from immediate sight.

Eri poked her head into the locker room and sniffed the air again. ("I can smell you…and that means you're going to die Pilkington.") Cracking her knuckles, she started to search the room. If Ichigo moved or made the slightest noise, she would detect him and then nothing would protect him from her wrath.

Ichigo felt cold. ("Death is upon me…she'll eventually come over in this direction and then I'm as good as dead.") A sudden inspiration hit her. ("Wait…if I…") Praying for luck, she made her move.

Eri turned the corner around a set of lockers and her eyes widened at what she saw. "What the hell?"

There was a green bush in between two rows of lockers.

Eri narrowed her eyes. "Now I know you're retarded. Do you actually think that camouflage is going to fool anyone? How did you get that bush in here anyway?"

The sound of a door on the other end of the room caught Eri's attention immediately. Growling, she snapped her claws through the bush and withdrew nothing but leaves. ("Damn it! I can't believe he fooled me!")

* * *

Ichigo had broken into a full run, cheeks bright red and eyes squeezed shut. ("I can't believe I fooled her!") She hadn't seen anything, and she had no intention of seeing anything either. ("Must…find…camera….quickly.") The sooner her target was located the sooner she could leave.

Then she broke through a pair of double doors. A wet and slippery floor greeted her and sent her sliding across cold tile. "GAH!"

* * *

Daniel winced at his "son's" scream and pulled the radio receiver away from his ears. "Damn it…what happened?" Trying to listen though, all he got now was static now. ("Oh boy…what fun…now I get to sit up in this tree and try to figure out what happened.")

* * *

Ichigo's head broke the surface of the spring and she gasped for air. "Oh man! Who put a…" The words spring rang in her mind and she didn't open her eyes, because her ears were detecting numerous gasps of surprise that were coming from all around her.

A normal boy would have probably snuck a peek just out of basic curiosity. Ichigo wasn't a normal boy though. For one thing, she had experienced what it was like to be on the receiving end of those kinds of looks, and she didn't like it. Secondly, her sense of honor said it was wrong. Finally, she didn't want to pass out from blood loss if she did break into a nose-bleed.

So eyes squinted shut she stumbled through the water, trying to find the tile so that she could get out of the spring and find her way out.

Then someone grabbed the collar of her jacket and lifted her up out of the pool. ("Oh no…")

"Now…" Eri, ignoring the confused looks all of the other girls in the room, pulled Ichigo out of the spring, along the floor and out of the room, into the hallway. "…I'm going to rip your head off."

Ichigo got down on her hands and knees, eyes shut tightly. Bowing her head, she whimpered loudly. "Please Eri; I have a good reason for being here!"

"Oh really?" The demoness flexed her claws. "For the sake of humor I'll hear you out."

"There's someone taking photos of the girls while they are in the bath house, and I'm here to try removing the camera and catching the crook." Ichigo whimpered louder and pressed her forehead against the floor.

Eri grabbed Ichigo and slammed her against the nearby wall of the hallway. "Don't you tell me any bullshit like that! Tell me the truth!"

"I am…" Ichigo wished she could run, but the chances of that happening were rather low.

Eri narrowed her eyes and her hand snaked out to tilt Ichigo's head up slightly. "Then why are you staring at my chest?"

Ichigo's eyes had been forced open by the impact against the wall, and for a few moments she had been staring at the toweled form of the demoness. "Uh….well…..I…."

Eri slammed her forehead against Ichigo's, forcing her eyes shut, and then dragged the half-demon out through the locker room and punted her, football-style, out of the entrance. "Die, you pervert!"

* * *

Daniel watched the air-bound form of his son disappear from sight and sighed. ("Wow…poor kid wasn't even in there for more than five minutes.")

* * *

Ichigo arched through the sky and came crashing down at beachside, her head stuck in the sand like an ostrich's. ("Owww….")

"I bet that hurt a lot didn't it?" A voice laughed out.

Removing her head from the sand, Ichigo looked at whoever had spoken.

It was a man in a brown leather jacket with a pair of wire-frame glasses on and a black pony-tail. "Hello there, you must be Ichigo Pilkington."

Paling, Ichigo hopped up and cleared the sand out of her ears. "Of course not. Ichigo Pilkington is this really cool guy that lives in my dorm."

Rolling his eyes, the man flicked a photograph to Ichigo. "Don't play games with me."

Catching it, Ichigo nearly gagged on her tongue. "What the hell? When did…" The picture looked like an overlap of Ichigo's male self standing in the same space as his female self.

"I know all about your secret. And that's why I took those bath house pictures. I planted them exactly where Midas King would find them and knew he would bring them to your father. After such, your father would ask you to go the bath house to find the culprit." The man smirked. "The camera was a one-shot, and isn't there anymore. In fact, I never even looked at the pictures I had taken with it. It was just a time-delay trigger." Holding up another picture, his smirk continued. "However, now I have the perfect leverage to use against you. I have more than enough proof to show that you and your male self are the same person, and considering that I now have photos of you in the girl's bath house…"

Ichigo paled even more. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jason Reynolds, a journalist of the strange and unexplained. And your story is one I want to know more about. All you have to do is duel me and I'll give you all evidence to both incidents…if you win of course."

Ichigo ground her teeth, but nodded. "Fine." ("I can't let those photos get to anyone! I'll not only have my secret out but I'll wind up kicked out of this school!")

* * *

A few minutes later the two duelists stood across from each other on the beachside, the moon illuminating their field nicely.

"Ready to begin?" Reynolds old-fashioned duel disk clicked into place.

"Always," Ichigo, who was back to his male self, turned on his own disk.

Reynolds- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

"Then let the challenger go first." Reynolds drew. Looking at the drawn card he threw it down. "Go Paparazzi!" (1200/1000) A man in a simple brown coat carrying an old-fashioned camera appeared on the field. "Now I discard one card from my hand to special summon the other two Paparazzi from my deck to the field!" Two more copies of the journalist monster reappeared on the field. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"A journalism deck…" Ichigo had heard that Industrial Illusions had created card sets based off of certain real life jobs, but he found it hard to believe someone would create a set based off of journalism. "Let me introduce your reporters to my team." He drew. "Go Cyber Shadow-Blademaster!" (2000/1600) A duel-sword wielding warrior in black armor appeared on his field. "Attack Paparazzi!" Nodding, the warrior leapt forward and slashed through the reporter with ease.

Reynolds tapped a button on his disk. "Impressive, but exactly what I expected! Activate continuous magic card Spin Control! This card activates when face-down on my field and a journalism monster is destroyed as a result of battle. All battle damage is done to you instead of me!"

Reynolds- 4000

Ichigo- 3200

"That isn't all though, because when Paparazzi is destroyed as a result of battle I can draw one card." Reynolds slid a card off of his deck and added it to his hand. "You need to be more careful what you do when there are members of the press around."

Frowning, Ichigo slid two cards into his disk. "If you're going to crack jokes at least make them funny ones. I set two cards face-down on the field and end my turn."

Reynolds drew. "That wasn't a joke. If you had been much more careful I'd never even have found out about your secret. For now I'm just setting two cards face-down on the field and ending my turn."

Ichigo drew. ("This is going to have to be a good turn. So far I'm off to a pretty bad start.") "It's time to start messing with your strategy! Activate Shadow Theft!" One of his two face-down cards flipped up. "This trap card only works while I have a Cyber Shadow in play. It will steal one face-up magic or trap card on your field!" Spin Control started to shimmer. "So I'll be taking the card that protects your life points!"

"Oh really?" Reynolds motioned to one of his now face-up card. "I discard one card from my hand to activate the magic card Sting Operation. This card triggers when you try to steal a card from my field. Not only is the stealing effect negated, but you will now lose 1500 life points!" Lightning exploded from the magic card and shattered Shadow Theft.

Ichigo bit back his screams as the lightning arched along his form for a few moments.

Reynolds- 4000

Ichigo- 1700

Reynolds shook his head slowly. "You're not very good. Then again, the media is a hard thing to defeat, wouldn't you agree?"

Ichigo coughed to clear the ozone from his lungs. "Yeah…I can see how it can be dangerous. However…" He slid two cards into his disk. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Reynolds drew. ("You're not bad kid, but my career has been collapsing for the last few months. I need a new story to revive it.") "First I play Swords of Revealing Light!" Glowing green swords of light slammed down onto the field. "This card will prevent you from attacking for three turns."

Ichigo nodded slightly. "I understand…but I have the stronger monster."

"For now." Reynolds held up a different card. "However…" He opened his field magic card slot. "It's time to see how well this card works." Inserting it in, he felt the air around them warping. "I play Chaos Dimension."

"Chaos Dimension?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes as prismatic light spread over the field all around them. ("He has that card…the same card that Octavian played earlier?")

Holding up his hand, Reynolds revealed a white die. "Depending on the number rolled, we'll decide what effect I get." His eyes were glowing with the same prismatic light that hovered around them. Upturning his hand, he dumped the die to the ground. It bounced around crazily and then landed on a six. "No…"

Ichigo was about to ask what that meant, but his words caught in his throat as he felt pain spike through him. Gasping for air, he clutched at his throat and collapsed to the ground.

("Rolling a six…means the effect of Chaos Dimension transfers to my opponent.") Reynolds ground his teeth as the card flew out of his field magic card slot and landed inside Ichigo's field magic card slot.

Ichigo slowly came to his feet, eyes glimmering prismatic instead of hazel. "You…" His lips curled slightly into a dark smile. "…are not going to enjoy what I will do to you in reprisal for trying to blackmail me."

He dropped the white die to the ground, which had found its way to his hand. The die bounced around and stopped on a two. "Now I draw two cards every turn and draw one right now." He slid a card off of his deck and added it to his hand. "Now go ahead and continue your turn, human scum."

_To be continued…_


	16. Just a bad day

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 16: Just a bad day

"_For now." Reynolds held up a different card. "However…" He opened his field magic card slot. "It's time to see how well this card works." Inserting it in, he felt the air around them warping. "I play Chaos Dimension."_

"_Chaos Dimension?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes as prismatic light spread over the field all around them. ("He has that card…the same card that Octavian played earlier?")_

_Holding up his hand, Reynolds revealed a white die. "Depending on the number rolled, we'll decide what effect I get." His eyes were glowing with the same prismatic light that hovered around them. Upturning his hand, he dumped the die to the ground. It bounced around crazily and then landed on a six. "No…"_

_Ichigo was about to ask what that meant, but his words caught in his throat as he felt pain spike through him. Gasping for air, he clutched at his throat and collapsed to the ground._

_("Rolling a six…means the effect of Chaos Dimension transfers to my opponent.") Reynolds ground his teeth as the card flew out of his field magic card slot and landed inside Ichigo's field magic card slot._

_Ichigo slowly came to his feet, eyes glimmering prismatic instead of hazel. "You…" His lips curled slightly into a dark smile. "…are not going to enjoy what I do to you in reprisal for trying to blackmail you." He dropped the white die to the ground, which had found its way to his hand. The die bounced around and stopped on a two. "Now I draw two cards every turn and draw one right now." He slid a card off of his deck and added it to his hand. "Now go ahead and continue your turn, human scum."_

Reynolds blinked a few times at the remaining card in his hand. Then with a heavy sigh he nodded to Ichigo. "End turn."

Ichigo drew twice. "I knew it. You're good, but nowhere near good enough." His upper lip lifted enough to reveal his fangs. "Get ready, because it is time to lose your advantage." He slid a card into his disk. "Activate Polymerization! Now I fuse Cyber Shadow-Blademaster (2000/1600) and Cyber Shadow-Psychic (1500/1200) together to create Cyber Shadow-Rune Blade!" (2400/1000) A warrior holding a pair of ornate and glowing swords appeared on the field in place of Blademaster. "This monster comes into play with two counters on it. Each of these counters gives it an extra 1000 attack points. However…" He pointed to each of the swords, which were glowing now. "I may sacrifice these counters to destroy one magic or trap card on the field! Double Magic Crusher!"

The warrior threw its blades and blew both Spin Control and Swords of Revealing Light apart. (400/1000)

"But now your monster doesn't have enough attack points to defeat my creature!" Reynolds clenched his fists tightly at the fact that his defense was gone already.

"Oh really?" Ichigo held up another card. "I activate De-fusion! This quickplay magic card separates my monster into its original parts!" Both Blademaster and the long-haired female Psychic appeared on his field. "Now my monsters, attack Paparazzi!" Psychic threw a ball of black energy across the field and blew one of the monsters apart, and then Blademaster destroyed the other one with one quick sword slash.

Reynolds- 2900

Ichigo- 1700

Reynolds snapped two cards off of his deck. "Because you destroyed my monsters as a result of battle I get to draw twice! Also, I activate my trap card!" His face-down card flipped up. "AP Style Handbook allows me to draw three cards when all monsters on my field as destroyed because of battle." He added three more cards to his hand.

Ichigo snickered coldly. "How pitiful. I'll end my turn and let you try to turn this against me."

Reynolds drew. ("I've got to be careful now that he has the Chaos Dimension on his field.") "First the Pot of Greed so I can draw two cards." He slid two more cards off of his deck, now holding eight in total. "I set two cards face-down on the field and set one monster. End turn."

Ichigo drew twice. "Blademaster, destroy his set monster now!" Nodding, the warrior leapt forward and slashed through the set creature.

"You've activated the special ability of my monster!" Reynolds pointed to his field. "Chief Editor (1300/1800) lets me special summon all Paparazzi in my graveyard to the field when he is destroyed as a result of battle!" The three camera-carrying warriors reappeared on his field.

Ichigo pointed at one of the Paparazzi. "Go Psychic!" The woman released a blast of energy towards one of the three monsters.

Reynolds motioned to one of his face-down cards. "I activate the trap card Picture Perfect! This prevents me from activating any other cards when it is flipped up, but my field cannot change for any reason during this turn!" The blast slammed into his monster and the overflow hit him, but his field was safe.

Reynolds- 2600

Ichigo- 1700

Ichigo snarled angrily and slid a card into his disk. "How long can you keep dodging, human? I set this face-down and end my turn."

Reynolds drew. "I won't need to dodge anymore! This is your last turn!" His face-down card flipped up. "Freedom of the Press prevents your traps from affecting my field for the rest of the game! Now I use the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your far left card!" A swirling blast of wind blew Ichigo's set card apart. "This is your end! Now I play the continuous magic card Soul-Stealing Camera!" A huge old-fashioned box camera appeared on his field. "By discarding light attribute monsters from my hand to the graveyard I can wipe out your monsters on the field, one after another!" The camera released two flashes of light that blew Ichigo's monsters apart.

Ichigo's eyes shimmered in the prismatic light of the Chaos Dimension. "You are more than welcome to attack. I'll crush you all the same."

"Count your life points before you say that." Reynolds pointed at Ichigo. "Attack…"

* * *

"I'm not done with you Pilkington!" A large boulder flew through the air on a crash course for Ichigo's head.

Without flinching the half-demon snapped out his fist and broke the hunk of stone into pebbles. "Oh look, it's the bitch." He turned to look at a fully clothed and crimson-eyed Eri. "How's life?"

Snarling, Eri started to approach the boy slowly. "It just occurred to me….you nearly saw me naked. For that, death is your only option!" She leapt forwards, claws out to gut Ichigo.

With no effort in the action, the boy snapped out his hand and caught her by the throat. With her dangling a few inches in the air, he coldly smirked. "And just what are you going to do about it?" His hand flexed and pressed down on her wind-pipe. "Answer me!"

Eri's reply was a mix of gasps of pain and weak snarls of anger.

"Ichigo!" Daniel, who had the common sense to follow the enraged Eri, ran onto the beach in time to see his son slowly strangling the life out of his other half's daughter. "What…are you doing?"

Ichigo ignored his father, his eyes meeting Eri's. "Well? All you've done is attack and yell at me! How about I return the favor by ripping out your voice box? Then I'll never have to hear your annoying screech of a voice again!"

Eri kicked the air futilely, her eyes now wide in fear. She'd never thought this was possible. ("I'm…afraid of Ichigo Pilkington?")

Ichigo's hand clenched tighter, and Eri's breath came out in weak gasps. "Maybe you should start listening before you accuse people of things. Then again, I suppose it really won't matter now. Good-bye Eri."

Daniel's knee slammed into the side of his head, forcing him to let go. "What in the hell are you doing?" The half-wolf demon's hand snapped out and pulled his son's face close. "Well?"

Ichigo smirked calmly and with impossible speed landed a haymaker across Daniel's face. The blow was so forceful that Daniel was sent rocketing through the air past Reynolds and crashing through the sand of the beach. "I'm doing what I have always wanted to do. I'm letting a certain self-centered demoness know that I'm tired of being of her metaphorical and emotional chew toy."

Eri was clutching at her throat and still gasping for air. "But….but…"

"But what?" Ichigo grabbed the collar of Eri's shirt and hefted her face a few inches from his. "Can you say something that will make it all better? I care for you, and all you do is screw with my feelings!" He threw her away and turned to look at Reynolds. "Finish your turn, human!"

The journalist pointed at Ichigo. "Paparazzi, direct attack!" (1200X3)

"Ichigo!" Daniel pulled his head out of sand and watched as three separate blasts of energy hurtled towards his son. ("Don't you dare die…because I need to beat the hell out of you first.")

Ichigo pointed to his face-down card. "Emergency Provisions is a quickplay magic card that lets me send magic and trap cards from my field to the graveyard to give myself a 1000 life point boost per card! So I'll be sending my two…" His eyes widened slightly as he saw a black bandanna-wearing form standing on top of one of his two set cards. ("Snake….") He nodded. "I sacrifice one of my face-down cards and the Chaos Dimension!" His field magic card slot spat out the field card, which dissipated into dust.

Reynolds- 2600

Ichigo- 3700

The three blasts slammed into Ichigo, leaving an explosion that also blew away the remains of prismatic light.

Reynolds- 2600

Ichigo- 100

Ichigo's eyes opened to reveal their normal hazel color. "Now that I've gotten that off my chest it's time to get rid of you, pervert."

Reynolds frowned and slid a card from his hand into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Eri slowly stood up, her breath ragged. "You…"

Ichigo glared at her, daring her to say something.

Her only response was to pass out from lack of air.

At Reynolds' questioning glance, Ichigo shrugged calmly. "I'm very pissed at her right now." He drew. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards! Then I play the continuous magic card Cyber Shadow Mainframe!"

Reynolds slid the last card in his hand into his graveyard. "I activate the trap card Magic Jammer! So therefore your magic card has been defeated!" The continuous magic card exploded into dust.

Ichigo slapped another card onto his disk. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Guardian (0/2200) into defense mode!" A silver-colored robot appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Also, I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Reynolds drew. "I'll just set one card face-down and end my turn for now."

Ichigo drew, sparing a glance at the unmoving form of Eri before returning to the field. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Sentinel (1500/1300) in attack mode! Then I play the equipment magic card Defense Armor!" (1800/1300) Glowing metal armor appeared around the shoulders of the robot. "This card, when my monster would be destroyed as a result of battle, is destroyed instead! Go Sentinel, attack Paparazzi now!" The machine hummed to life and released a blast of energy from its eyes.

Reynolds waved his hand over his field. "I activate the continuous trap card Public Scandal! This trap card lets me discard three cards off of my deck when my opponent declares an attack to cut the attack of his monster in half for the turn!" Sliding three cards off of his deck, he snickered as the attack of Sentinel dropped. (900/1300)

Ichigo frowned as his monster froze up. The Paparazzi it was targeting lifted its camera and then released a blast of energy from the device that blew the armor away from his machine. (600/1300) "End turn." (1500/1300)

Reynolds drew. "It's time to bring this duel to its end. First I play the Card of Sanctity, so we both draw cards until we hold six in our hand." He drew six while Ichigo drew five. "And now the time is here."

"What time?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow slightly.

"There are now fifteen cards sitting on top of the bottom card of my graveyard. It is a magic card called Legendary Story. When it has been buried under fifteen or more cards, then I may remove it from play to special summon a monster from my deck that has the power to crush my enemy with the true power of journalism." A man smoking a cigarettewith a long brown ponytail appeared on the field. "Awaken, my mighty Legendary Journalist!" (1000/1000) "This monster has the power to gain 1000 attack points for every monster on your field." (3000/1000) "Attack!" Lifting his finger, the man snapped his fingers and a flash of light engulfed the field.

Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut and motioned to his set card. "Go Mirror Force! This card will negate your attack and destroy all attack mode monsters on your field!"

Reynolds slid a card from his hand into his graveyard slot. "This monster card has the power to negate your trap cards by discarding one card from my hand into my graveyard." The light faded away and the field stood untouched, except for the fact that Ichigo had one less card on his field. "Impressive attempt, but for now I play the magic card Mesmeric Control. This magic card prevents your monsters on the field from switching modes during the next turn. Other than that I set one card face-down. End turn."

Ichigo glanced at Sentinel. ("So now he'll have an open target to my life points during the next turn.") He drew. "I sacrifice Sentinel to summon Cyber Shadow-Moonblade (2000/1700) in defense mode!" A blond-haired woman holding a single glowing energy sword appeared on his field in a crouching position. "This monster allows me to discard one card from my hand to search my deck for a Cyber Shadow and Polymerization." He slid a card from his hand into his graveyard.

"What will that do? My monster has 3000 attack points." Reynolds smirked.

Ichigo returned the smirk. "I'll summon the leader of the Cyber Shadows. With her on my field, you'll fall."

"Wrong," Reynolds snapped his fingers and his face-down card flipped up. "The trap card Propaganda negates your monster's effect, makes it a normal monster, and also cuts it attack in half." (1000/1700)

Ichigo closed his eyes and smiled. "Thanks for letting me know what that card was. Now I can play the card in my hand without worry!" He slid a card into his disk. "Activate the equipment magic card Special Operative Weapon-Stinger!" A rocket launcher appeared on the shoulder of Guardian. "This card can twice destroy a monster on the field with 1500 more attack points than the equipped creature! Go Guardian!" A rocket exploded out of the weapon and slammed into the Legendary Journalist, blowing it apart. "Finally I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Reynolds drew. "First I discard the News Bomb (900/900) so that its effect will destroy your Guardian!" The silver robot exploded into pieces of scrap. "Then I equip my monsters with the union equipment magic card Flash Camera!" The cameras in the hands of the monsters seemed to double in size and complexity. "This card allows them to tally their attack power together when they attack! Go!" (3600) All three of the monsters released balls of energy from their cameras, which then combined together and blew Moonblade apart. "Also, I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. ("Sheesh…this guy is unbelievable.") "I set one card face-down on the field and one monster in defense mode. End turn."

Reynolds drew. "I've nearly blown the lid on this story. Now it's time for the follow-up." His face-down card flipped up. "I activate the quickplay magic card Breaking News. This card will destroy one card on the field when Paparazzi is in play!" He pointed at the set monster. "So be destroyed!" The magic card released a blast of red energy that hurtled towards the set monster.

Ichigo snapped his fingers and a glowing silver barrier sprang up to stop the card. "The trap card Shadow Barrier negates one effect that targets a Cyber Shadow. I guess that means you know what my face-down monster is, but then again…" He smirked. "My whole deck is Cyber Shadow."

Reynolds discarded a single card from his hand. "Did you forget the effect of my Soul-Stealing Camera?" The huge camera spat out a blast of energy that slammed into the set monster and blew it apart.

Ichigo held up the destroyed monster. "A new monster for your records, sick bastard. This is Cyber Shadow-Apprentice (300/200) and when he is destroyed I may special summon a level four or lower Cyber Shadow from my deck to the field!" He slapped a card onto his disk. "Go Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer (0/2400) in defense mode!" A man carrying a heavy shield appeared on the field in a crouching position.

Frowning, Reynolds pointed at the new monster. "Paparazzi, compound energy attack!" All three of the monsters released a compound blast to blow the shield monster apart. "Also, I will sacrifice Flash Camera to use its effect to destroy one magic or trap card on the field!" The cameras disappeared and one of Ichigo's face-down cards blew apart. "Finally, I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Ichigo closed his eyes. ("I'm not in the mood for this crap. So that's it…I'm finishing this joker off right now.") He drew, glanced at the card, and smirked. "Let's shake things up, shall we? I summon Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh (300/200) into defense mode!" A little tuxedo-wearing furball appeared on his field. "Now I discard one card from my hand to steal the top card off of your deck and use it immediately! Go Cuteness Espionage!"

Reynolds snapped his fingers and his face-down card flipped up. "The continuous trap card Security Camera destroys any card that tries to discard or steal cards from me." A beam of light flew out of the card and blew the little furball apart. "Sorry kid, but it looks like you're going to find yourself in the news."

"I'm not all that interested in news." Ichigo slapped his last card. "I'm more interested in history. And on that note, that's exactly what you are! Go Cyber Shadow-Shifter (800/1200) in attack mode!" A thin black-clothed ninja appeared on the field. "When this monster is the last card in my hand, it can be special summoned the field!"

"So what?" Reynolds pointed at the card text. "I can see that it only has that ability. So therefore it's useless to you."

Ichigo snapped his fingers. "Check this out. Reverse card open!" His face-down card flipped up. "Shadow Shift!"

"Shadow Shift?" Reynolds blinked in confusion, until he saw all three of his Paparazzi and Shifter fall to their knees as they switched into defense position. "What are you doing?"

"Shadow Shift can only be activated when Cyber Shadow-Shifter is in play." Ichigo motioned to Reynolds' face-up magic and trap cards, which were all face-down now. "This card flips all face-down magic and trap cards face-up. If it is the inappropriate time for their activation they are destroyed. Also, all face-up magic and trap cards flip down and cannot be activated again for the rest of the game."

Reynolds gulped. "Why did the modes of our monsters switch modes then?"

"Because all monsters on the field also switch to defense mode when I use Shadow Shift." Ichigo's lips curled slightly. "And then the last effect of Shadow Shift triggers! Cyber Shadow-Shifter is now sacrificed to let me summon one monster from my deck to the field!" The black-clothed ninja disappeared and was replaced by a lithe black-clothed warrior who had a long energy blades strapped to each forearm. "Come out, Cyber Shadow-King of Swords!" (2600/2300) The warrior heard its name and opened its eyes, the prismatic orbs looking each of the Paparazzi in turn. "This monster has the power to not only deal damage through defense, but if you have four more total cards on the field than I do he can attack all monsters you have in play at once!"

"What?" Reynolds' eyes widened. "Since when was there another tribute Cyber Shadow other than Moonblade?"

"Since always…I've just never drawn him until now." Ichigo pointed at the three Paparazzi. "King of Swords…Ultimate Buster Slash!" The warrior shimmered out of sight. Seconds later it reappeared standing the same position. "Now leave me alone." All three of the Paparazzi exploded into dust.

Reynolds- 0

Ichigo- 100

* * *

Eri was sitting in her room, looking out at the moon. It had been a few hours since her 'encounter' with Ichigo, and honestly she didn't even want to look at him. ("Was I actually scared of him? Or was I afraid because I'd never seen him be aggressive before.") She'd seen him when he was protective…but never when he was simply angry.

A knock on her window caught her attention. Slowly she looked over and froze up at the pair of hazel eyes that watched calmly from right outside the window. "What do you want?"

Ichigo's shadowed form leapt off of the windowsill and out of sight.

Frowning, Eri already knew what she was going to do.

* * *

A few minutes later the demoness was outside in the darkened courtyard of the girl's dormitory. "Where are you Pilkington?"

Something flew through the air and landed in her arms. It was a bouquet of roses. "Sorry about earlier. I wasn't exactly myself at that moment."

Eri stared at the flowers for a few moments, and then her eyes rose to look at Ichigo. He was wearing his tuxedo from the dance from some weeks ago. "You have to be kidding me. Do you think this cheesy apology attempt will change anything?"

"No. But I'm too stupid to care." Ichigo took a couple of steps towards her and held out his hand. "Would you care to dance?"

Eri narrowed her eyes slowly, and did the most unlikely thing to do in that situation. At least to her.

Later though, she had to admit that he was a pretty good dancer.

* * *

_Daniel,_

_Need training. Took the Iguana with me too. Keep your son away from my princess or else I hold you personally responsible. Be safe._

_Rikuo_

Daniel sighed and crumpled the note, throwing it into the trashcan. Reynolds had already been arrested by the proper authorities, and any evidence about Ichigo's secret was long since destroyed.

Now all that was left in Daniel's mind was the upcoming threat of the Chaos Riders….and one other thing. ("Rykiel…I'm your last challenge to overcome before you reach the top. I'm ready…I hope.")

_To be continued…_

To Bobbomp: A Bus Driver deck? I'm sorry…but Bus Driver isn't a very exciting job.

To Anime Albino: Chaos Ichigo is indeed scary.

To Seeker of the Soul: I think the situation has been repaired as well as it can be.

To gohan11: This is a PG-13 story, so I'm sorry if you felt it wasn't 'hot' enough.

To G.O.T. Nick: Evil journalists are wrong. However….er……:Moves on since he really doesn't have anything to say:

To Rex: I'm a Journalist major in college. Of course I'm giving the career its own set of cards.

To Later (I hate l33t speak): I've already spoken with you on the matter.

To Star: The power of the press never fails if used for good.

To wolfy: . …… . ……….Errr…………………………………………………………………….

To Seth: I think Ichigo gave Eri a piece of his mind, don't you?

To Neo the Stampede: Good guess.


	17. A taste of Hell

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 17: A taste of Hell

CJ sighed and sat back in his chair. "So Jared, how's it looking?"

"We should be to the Duel Academy by tommorow morning," Jared twisted the steering wheel of the boat sharply and it dodged around a large wave quickly. "Maybe you should go make sure that the other passengers are alright?"

CJ smiled and nodded, walking out of the captain's cabin and looking down at the deck. "How is everyone doing down there?"

Numerous cries of agreement replied.

CJ walked back into the cabin. "So let me get this straight…to avoid detecting by the crazy guy who is chasing us, you got us jobs on a cruise ship?"

"It's only a small one, so we'll be alright. Besides, it'll chock up to job experience." Jared smiled and spun the wheel again, eliciting a series of complains yells from down on the deck.

"Now the question is did they really think I'd be so easily deterred?" Basil glanced over at Ken, who shrugged innocently. "Oh well, I suppose this is as good of a place as any." Silently, he dropped out of the open door of the helicopter and plummeted fifty feet to the deck of the boat.

CJ found himself face-first on the floor, as did Jared when something shook the whole boat roughly. "What in the hell?" A few screams of terror reached the ears of both men and they hopped up, immediately running outside.

:Ah, greetings!" Basil waved cheerily to the two from his spot standing in a small crater created in the floor-boards. Surrounding him were black waves of energy that stretched across the field. "So, who's the man I'll be stealing the soul of today?"

CJ cracked his knuckles and glanced at Jared. "Make sure everyone gets away from the deck."

Jared nodded, while CJ walked past him and went to the field across from Basil.

Smirking, Basil lifted his arm to reveal his duel disk already in place. "Let's begin." The waves of darkness launched out and consumed the ship, using the whole vehicle as the stage for the darkness game.

CJ pulled a small device out of his pocket and attached it to his wrist. It beeper loudly and came apart to form a make-shift duel disk. "Let's go then." He slid his disk into the main body of the device.

Pushing his glasses to the bridge of his nose, Basil snickered calmly. "Let the duel begin. Prepare to feel the power of my true deck."

"I've already defeated Archfiends in the past." CJ drew his five cards. "So I'll let you go first."

CJ- 4000

Basil- 4000

Basil drew six cards off of his deck. "Who ever said I was playing Archfiends? First let's start with Hell-Blazer!" (2200/1600) A howling fire-covered dragon appeared on his field. "End turn."

CJ's eyes widened hugely. "What's its effect?"

"What effect?" Basil snickered, his British accent clearly ringing the air.

The horse demon understood immediately. ("Damn it…a 2200 attacker with no effect?") He drew. ("So you want to play with the big boy's huh?") His lips lifted slightly at his hand. "I set three cards face-down on the field and one monster in defense mode. End turn!"

Basil drew. "This time I get the great CJ Anderson hmm? Alright then, I hope you're a better opponent than your friend." He threw another card onto his disk. "Come on out, Hell-Blazer number two!" Another of the flame-covered dragons appeared on his field. "Flames of the Abyss!" Opening its jaws, the dragon released a spray of flame that instantly destroyed CJ's face-down monster card.

("You fell for it.") CJ motioned to one of his set cards. "Go Rope of Life! This trap card lets me discard my hand to special summon back the monster you just destroyed, except this time it will return with 800 extra attack points!" A rope fell from the sky into the ground and pulled out a huge grey rat. "Giant Rat (2200/1450) returns! That isn't all though, because when Giant Rat is destroyed as a result of battle I can special summon one earth attribute monster from my deck with 1500 or less attack points to the field!" He removed a card from his deck and slapped it down. "Go Falcon Swordsman!" A humanoid bird in armor and wielding a pair of swords appeared on his field. (1000/1000) "This monster is summoned in attack mode, so you're more than welcome to attack it if you want."

"I think I will." Basil pointed at the monster. "Hell-Blazer number one, show this weakling the Flames of the Abyss!" Opening its jaws, the dragon released a spray of fire that tore across the field towards CJ's monster.

"You've triggered the effect of Falcon Swordsman! Go Cyclone Defense!" The warrior snapped its sword upwards and a blast of wind deflected the fireball, sending it flying into the air. "This monster can once per game negate one attack."

Basil chuckled and slid a card into his disk. "Then I'll just set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

CJ drew. ("I'm not getting anywhere at this rate. I have to attack now.") He looked at the drawn card and smirked. "The power of my deck…the power of rage!" His Falcon Swordsman disappeared. "I sacrifice Falcon Swordsman to summon the almighty Master Berserker!" (1800/1500) A humanoid made of pure muscle appeared on the field. It wore nothing but a loincloth, and looked like some kind of Wildman. In its arms rested a stone sledgehammer. "Now attack Hell-Blazer now!" Nodding, the warrior bellowed out a battle-cry and leapt through the air, hammer lifted to crush its enemy. "When this monster battles with a creature stronger than itself, it gains 1000 attack points!" (2800/1500) "Blow of the Mightiest Warrior!" CJ smirked as his monster shattered the flaming dragon with one strike to the head.

CJ- 3400

Basil- 4000

"What?" Jared, who had been explaining to the passengers that this was just a show for their entertainment, gasped. "Why did CJ take the damage? I thought Hell-Blazer didn't have an effect."

"It doesn't." Basil pointed at his now face-up trap card. "The continuous trap card Devil's Reverse makes it so that whenever a demon is destroyed as a result of battle, you'll take the life point damage instead of me."

CJ's eyes started to twitch in anger. "Well let's see you handle this! Go Giant Rat, destroy the Hell-Blazer now!" Chattering, the rat tackled the dragon and both exploded into dust. "And when Giant Rat is sent to the graveyard, I may special summon one 1500 or less attack earth monster to the field! Go Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts!" (1500/1200) A brown-furred monster appeared on the field and roared loudly. "Attack his life points directly!"

"I'd stop if I were you." Basil pointed to his field, where a wall of festering flesh now stood. "Or else you'll be taking a nice hunk of life point damage thanks to my Necro Barricade." (0/3200) "This monster is special summoned from my hand to the field when two demons are destroyed as a result of battle. Its defense is equal to the compound defense of those two monsters."

CJ growled darkly. "End turn."

Basil drew. "And here you thought you could overwhelm me. That's impossible." His eyebrow lifted slightly. "How can you hope to overwhelm hell?" He placed a card onto his disk. "Go Flesh Manipulator." A black skeleton in festive robes appeared on the field in a crouching position. (0/0) "When this monster is summoned I may special summon two demons from my graveyard to the field with only half of their total attack points." Two bursts of flame exploded out of the ground on his field as the Hell-Blazers reformed. (1100/1600)

"Those little walls aren't going to be enough." CJ resisted the urge to pinch his nose to block out the smell of rotten flesh and brimstone.

"Who said they were walls?" Basil held up another card and two pairs of razor sharp teeth exploded out of the ground and bit through the flaming dragons. "I activate the ritual magic card Hell Giant's Awakening." Another explosion of fire tore out of the ground, quickly forming into a towering giant made entirely of flames. (2000/2500) "Now I activate this monster's effect. By sacrificing my battle phase I can remove a demon from my graveyard." He caught one of the two Hell-Blazer cards and held it up. "As you know, the attack points of my Hell-Blazer's are 2200. Well your Master Berserker is about to get hit with that many points of damage. And since it isn't an attack, his effect won't save him!"

Opening one of its massive hands, the Giant bellowed darkly and brought the hand down around the body of the Berserker. Lifting the warrior into the air, it snickered and squeezed its hand closed, instantly blowing the warrior apart.

CJ- 3000

Basil- 4000

Basil waved his finger in the air, the move mimicked by the Giant. "You should know better than to challenge the power of Hell with pitiful little men wielding hammers. End turn."

CJ drew. ("I'm not out yet, you freak of nature.") "I activate the magic card Treasure of Fate! This magic card lets me roll one die and draw cards equal to the number rolled. Also, after I do this I remove the same number of cards from my deck and place them into my removed from play pile." He pointed to the card and it spat out a white die that bounced across the ground and landed on a two. "So now I draw two…" He did so. "And then I remove two." Sliding two cards off of his deck, he placed them into his back pocket.

"Two cards won't make the difference when compared to the fact that I have three monsters in play." Basil smirked and pointed to his Devil's Reversal trap card. "And if you've forgotten, any battle damage I'll receive by their deaths goes to you."

CJ looked at his two drawn cards. "Let me remove those problems right now! Go Remove Trap! This magic card lets me destroy one trap card when activated! Devil's Reversal is destroyed!" The trap card exploded into dust. "And before you mention anything involving attack points, let me show you my face-down card! Go Polymerization!" One of his face-down cards flipped up. "This magic card lets me fuse monsters together into more powerful ones." He slid Gazelle and the other card in his hand into the graveyard. "So I'll send Gazelle and Berfomet (1400/1800) to the graveyard to special summon Chimera!" (2100/1800) A two-headed winged beast appeared on his field. "Go Chimera, attack the Giant!" Roaring, the beast leapt forward and shattered the demon in one tackle. "End turn."

CJ- 3000

Basil- 3900

Basil drew. "That's impressive…but I'm not afraid. You have the strongest monster…for the moment. I'll simply play Foolish Burial. This magic card lets me take one monster from my deck and send it to my graveyard." He removed a card from his deck and slid it into his graveyard slot. "Then I remove the monster, Doma the Angel of Silence (1600/1400) to summon this creature!" There was an explosion of flames that formed into a humanoid form that stood on his field. "True Doma (1200/800) in attack mode." The humanoid lifted its hands into the air. "This monster destroys all monsters in play that aren't demons!" A burst of flame blew Chimera apart.

CJ slid the fusion card into the graveyard. "When Chimera is destroyed, I may special summon either Berfomet or Gazelle to the field. Return Berfomet!" A four-armed demon appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1400/1800)

Basil looked like he was about to start laughing. "For now I end my turn."

CJ drew. "I play the continuous magic card Long Ordeal. Whenever a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle I may pay 500 life points to draw one card. Then I switch Berfomet into attack mode and go after Doma!" Roaring, the demon stood up and tore the fire being apart with one swing of its claws.

CJ- 3000

Basil- 3700

Basil the card into his graveyard and drew. ("You're just doing me a favor, you fool.") "I think it's time to bring this duel into overtime! Go Chaos Dimension! When played, this card lets me roll a die to determine what effect will come into play!" A veil of prismatic pushed away the darkness, leaving the air glowing with light. "And the number's four, meaning that all damage received in this duel is now real, but only to you! End turn!"

CJ grimaced. "I draw." He slid the top card off of his deck. "Big Shield Gardna (100/2600) in defense mode!" A shield-carrying warrior appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Berfomet, attack now!" The demon swung its claws and slashed Basil's Flesh Manipulator apart. "End turn."

Basil drew. "I'll set this face-down on the field and end my turn then." A card appeared behind his Necro Wall.

CJ drew. ("Perfect timing.") "I summon Igzarion Universe (1800/1900) in attack mode!" A centaur-like monster wielding a huge spear appeared on his field. "This monster's special effect lets it reduce its attack strength by 300 for this turn to gain the ability to deal damage through defense!" (1500/1900) "Go now, attack Necro Wall!"

"Aren't you forgetting that my monster's defense is 2200?" Basil snickered calmly.

"Nope." CJ's face-down card flipped up. "Go Defense Crusher! This continuous trap card lets me pay 500 life points when one of my monsters attacks a higher defense monster to raise their attack strength by 1000 for the attack!" (2500/1900) The beast-warrior slashed the wall of decayed flesh in half.

CJ- 2500

Basil- 3400

Basil let out a strange noise that sounded like a partial laugh. "You triggered my Shattered Dreams trap card!" His face-down card flipped up. "This trap card triggers when I have no monsters in play. Now your battle phase ends and I discard the top three cards of my deck!" He drew. "It's my turn now! I remove four demons from my graveyard!" Four white ghosts flew out of his graveyard.

A demon that looked a flaming version of the Terrorking Archfiend appeared on his field. "So now I special summon Hellking of the Abyss." (2000/1500) "This cards special ability forces any monster it battles with into attack mode! Attack Big Shield Gardna now!" Snarling, the demon launched forwards and slammed its fist against the warrior's shield, forcing it to its feet. "Blood Drainer!" The follow-up punch broke right through CJ's monster and flew onwards to slam into CJ's chest, sending him flying to the edge of the railing on the deck.

CJ- 600

Basil- 3400

Coughing out globs of blood, CJ pointed at his Long Ordeal card. It released a green glow.

CJ- 100

Basil- 3400

Stumbling back to his field, CJ drew. "I'm…not out yet. Draw!" He drew again.

"Not so fast big man." Basil pointed at the card CJ had drawn, and it disappeared. "When Hellking destroys a monster in also destroys all magic and trap cards in play." A burst of flames launched up and shattered CJ's two continuous cards. "So you get back your life points."

CJ- 600

Basil- 3400

CJ wiped some blood from his mouth and looked at the drawn card. He slid it into his disk. "So you want to fight serious? Fine…let's go!"

_To be continued…_

To generic reviewer: Meh…I think one career deck is enough for me.

To Hogwarts-Knight: No. No I don't.

To Star: Okay…..that's three suggestions which are in my Recycle Bin right now.

To Bobbomp: Four….

To Anime Albino: ; It's a Kuriboh. They're meant to die.

To Seeker of the Soul: Weeellll……you'll see just what his training is, now won't you?

To GryphinWyrm: Zoology huh? Cool.

To G.O.T. Nick: I've read some of it, but didn't review at that time. I'll try making progress on it when I have free time this weekend.

To Adriel: Chaos PMS Attack?

To Darkstar: My dear friend, I can't make any comments on your review because I'm not entirely sure what you wrote. You're not being timed for how quickly you do your review of my story. Please check it before sending it out.


	18. The return of Zombyra

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 18: Zombyra's return

"All passengers please place your tray tables into their upright positions for take-off."

Deondre heard the message loud and clear, but his eyes were already closed. He was having a bad week so far. ("First a crazy man blows up my favorite motorcycle, and then the motorcycle he leads me to is a piece of crap that breaks ten minutes out of that town. I'll just be happy when I'm somewhere other than here.") He felt the plane lift off and already some of his aggravation was disappearing.

Deondre was woken up a few minutes by someone poking him repeatedly. "Knock it off. Yes they're real and no you may not touch them." He rolled over in his seat.

A snort was his reply. "Wake up already. I let you have a nice half-an-hour nap while I read my newspaper. It's time to finish this."

Deondre's eyes snapped open and he rolled over to come face to face with the steel-grey eyes of Ken. "What are you doing here?"

Everyone in the plane went silent when Deondre yelled this. All of them turned their heads to watch what might be an escalating confrontation.

"I'm here to finish our duel." Ken folded up his newspaper and shoved it into the storage space of the seat in front of him. "So break out your cards and get ready to fight, Anderson."

"You want to duel on the plane?" Deondre stood up and pointed a finger just a few inches from Ken's face. "There's no room!"

"We'll make room." Lifting his arm, Ken smirked and his duel disk slid into place. "Now get ready."

"Excuse me sir, but we can't have you causing problems on the flight," a stewardess said softly from behind Ken. "Could you please take your seat?"

Giving the woman one cold glance, Ken drew five cards off of his deck and frowned at them. "I'm going first."

"I never said I agreed." Deondre was considering saying no to this duel on the general principle that Ken was an ass.

Ken drew, inserted the card into his hand, and then slid a different card into his field magic card slot. "Activate the Chaos Dimension!"

For a few moments Deondre felt light-headed, and suddenly he was standing a few feet in the air. "What…in the world is this?"

"It's the power of the Chaos Dimension." Ken motioned to the fact that they were both standing on thin air so that neither of them touched the seats. And the roof of the plane around them was now gone, though no vacuum threatened to suck them or the passengers into empty space. "Since we didn't have an appropriate battle-field, the Dimension provided one for us. Now prepare to battle for your soul." He held up his hand, which had a single white die on it. "Now, let's roll and see fate has in store for us." The die bounced around and finally landed on a two. "Now I draw one card now and two cards during every draw phase."

Deondre looked down at his arm and blinked in surprise at the sight of his duel disk. ("Damn…this could be a problem.")

Deondre- 4000

Ken- 4000

Ken held up the card he had drawn. "Come out Zombyra the Dark Hero, it's time to play!" (2100/500) The bone-suited form of his dark super-hero monster appeared on the field. It lifted its hands, struck a dramatic pose, and pointed at Deondre. "Then I set two cards face-down on the field and end my turn."

Deondre looked down at of the now terrified passengers, who all were on the near verge of panic. "I hope you enjoy this nice in-flight show, ladies and gentlemen!" He bowed and drew his five card hand. "It's my turn. Draw!" He had to make sure that no one panicked. "I summon Apprentice Magician (400/800) in defense mode!" A blond-haired spellcaster appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Then I set two cards face-down. End turn."

"That's it?" Ken drew. "Zombyra, attack now!" The Dark Hero leapt…

"Traps activate!" Deondre's two face-down cards flipped up. "Go Shadow Spell and Reflection Armor!" Glowing crystal armor appeared around the body of the Apprentice Magician and it stood up, giving Zombyra a cold glare. "This trap card forces the equipped monster into attack mode. Also, its attack score becomes that of one monster on the opponent's field." (2100/800)

Black chains flew out of his other card and wrapped around Zombyra. "And Shadow Spell weakens your monster by 700 attack points!" (1400/500) "Apprentice Magician, attack Zombyra now!" The spellcaster leapt and brought its staff down towards Zombyra's head.

"Reverse trap activate!" One of Ken's face-down cards flipped up. "The trap card Blinding Radiance destroys all cards equipped to one monster of my choice and raises its attack power by 500 points per destroyed card!" The chains shattered into dust and Zombyra leapt upwards to meet the magician halfway across the battlefield. (2600/500)

Deondre held up a single finger and smirked. "Reflection Armor is destroyed when my monster would be destroyed as a result of battle." Throwing its arms up, the Apprentice Magician was launched backwards by the force of Zombyra's blow. Its armor shuddered and blew apart. "Nice try though."

Ken smirked and slid two cards into his disk. "I set two cards face-down on the field."

"Draw!" Deondre snapped the top card off of his deck and looked at it. "It's time to see just what Zombyra has to offer without your assistance. Activate Dimension Magic!" A glowing coffin-like structure appeared on his field. "This card will let me special summon one spellcaster from my hand and destroy one monster on your field!"

"Oh really?" Ken snapped his fingers. "I activate Magic Jammer! This trap card lets me discard one card from my hand to negate a magic card." The structure exploded into dust. "Anything else you'd care to try?"

Deondre pointed at his Apprentice Magician and the spellcaster fell to one knee. "I switch my monster into defense mode and set one card face-down on the field. End turn."

Ken drew. "I set two cards face-down. Zombyra, attack Apprentice Magician!" The warrior leapt down and shattered the spellcaster. (2400/500) "End turn."

Deondre caught a card that was spat out of his deck and threw it down. "When your destroyed my Apprentice Magician as a result of battle you triggered its effect. So I special summoned a level two or lower spellcaster monster from my deck to the field in face-down defense mode." He drew. "End turn!"

Ken drew twice. "You think you're so clever? Reverse card open!" One of his four face-down cards flipped up. "Continuous trap card, Final Attack Orders! As long as this card is in play, all monsters must now be in face-up attack mode. Therefore, your monster flips up now!"

Deondre's monster was an old man in magician's robes. "An Old Vindictive Magician (450/600) huh?"

The owner of the monster pointed at Zombyra. "And its effect activates when flipped up. Now I destroy your Zombyra!" Lifting its staff, the mage released a blast of energy that hurtled towards the hero.

Ken snapped his fingers and another card flipped up. "I activate the continuous trap card Agreement of Duelists! This trap card, as long as it is in play, forces us both to select one monster. That monster cannot be destroyed or removed from play until the other leaves or my trap card leaves." Zombyra back-handed the energy blast away. "Now Zombyra, attack Old Vindictive Magician!" Nodding, the hero leapt forwards and punched the spellcaster in the chin. "End turn."

Deondre- 2050

Ken- 4000

Deondre drew. ("I have to get rid of my monster before I can hope to eliminate Zombyra.") "Reverse card open!" His face-down card flipped up. "Magician's Studies can only work while I have a spellcaster monster in play. It lets me draw three cards, and then I discard two. Also, I may immediately activate one magic card after doing so!" He drew three cards, looked at his hand, and then discarded two. "And now for my magic card." He slid a card into his disk. "Go Heavy Storm!" An explosion of wind blew across the field. "This card lets me destroy all magic and trap cards in play!"

Ken snorted and discarded a card from his hand. "You would, but I have another Magic Jammer. Don't forget, I'm ready for you this time." Purple mists wrapped around the magic card and blew it apart.

Deondre's eyes widened. ("This guy is good…but no real duelist relies on one card to win.") "I play Magical Silk Hats!" A single huge black silk top hat fell over his monster, and then that single hat turned into four. "This card will conceal my monster from sight. Now to find it, you'll have to guess which one he is hiding in. End turn."

Ken drew twice. "You're a fool if you think I'm so easily deterred. Go Zombyra!" The bone-armored hero drove its fist through one of the four hats…and snickered as its fist found resistance in the form of the Old Vindictive Magician.

Deondre- 100

Ken- 4000

Deondre's pupils shrank to pinpoints as the rest of his Magical Silk Hats disappeared. ("No way, he found my monster".)

Ken slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Deondre weakly looked down at his deck. ("It just went from mid-game to end-game in one hit. If I don't pull a good card now then I've lost.") He slid the top card off of his deck and looked at it. "I set one card face-down…and summon Royal Magical Library (0/2000) in attack mode." A green ball of crystal appeared on his field. "End turn."

Ken drew twice. "What are you doing, stupid? Do you really think that is going to help your situation? Zombyra, show him the error of his ways!" The superhero front-flipped through the air and came down with its fist ready to punch through the Royal Magical Library.

Deondre snapped his fingers and his face-down card flipped up. "Sometimes the simplest cards are the best! Go Magic Cylinder! This trap negates your attack and deals your monsters attack in damage to your life points!" A pair of cups appeared on the field. One sucked up Zombyra and the other spat him out back onto Ken's field. Though Zombyra didn't attack Ken, the damage was done.

Deondre- 100

Ken- 1600

Ken narrowed his eyes and slid a card into his disk. "I activate Rain of Mercy. This magic card raises our life points by 1000." Droplets of water fell onto both of them from an unknown source. "End turn."

Deondre- 1100

Ken- 2600

Deondre drew. ("Now that I've gotten a moment to catch my breath, let's turn this around.") "First the magic card Swords of Revealing Light! This card lets me seal your monsters for three turns!" Glowing green swords of light started to appear on the field…and then exploded into dust. "What?"

"You triggered the final killing blow of my deck." Ken smirked and pointed at one of his now face-up. "Magic Crusher. This trap card can only be activated when my opponent plays a magic card. Now I discard two cards from my hand and for the next two turns all magic cards you play are negated."

Deondre frowned and slid another card into his disk. "I activate Monster Returned!" The card appeared on his field and then exploded. "And because a third magic card was activated, a third counter is placed onto my Royal Magical Library! Now I draw one card by removing those three counters!" He drew a single card. "Now I set this card face-down on the field and summon Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode." A pair of female elves appeared on his field and eyed Zombyra dangerously. "End turn."

Ken drew twice. "Pot of Greed!" He drew twice again. "Now I summon Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in attack mode!" A black-haired woman appeared on his field.

Deondre pointed at his face-down card. "Go Dark Magic Revival! This trap card lets me sacrifice the monster you just summoned and a monster on my field to summon out one dark spellcaster from my graveyard!" A coffin appeared on the field and sucked up the Witch of the Black Forest and Old Vindictive Magician. The coffin closed and then opened to reveal a purple-robed magician. "So I revive Dark Magician!" (2500/2100) The spellcaster remembered Zombyra all too well. Narrowing its eyes, it stepped onto the field and motioned for the warrior to come.

Ken slid a card into his disk. "Though I could attack, I have a feeling that you have some kind of card in your graveyard the will work as a trap, so now I'll equip Zombyra with the Scroll of Focused Illusions!" Zombyra struck a ninja-like pose and waited patiently. "End turn."

Deondre drew. "Actually, you would have won." He slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and attack with Dark Magician! Black Magic!" The spellcaster lifted its staff and released a blast of magical energy that slammed into Zombyra and blew it apart. Moments later it reformed on the field. "Damn it…"

Ken pointed at the Scroll of Focused Illusions card, which was currently gone. "This card's special ability means that when the monster equipped with it would be destroyed, it is returned and equipped with two shadow counters." Shadowy versions of Zombyra appeared on the field. "These counters make it invincible to two deaths."

Deondre- 1100

Ken- 2500

Deondre frowned. "End turn then."

Ken drew twice. "I think the scenery needs to be changed! Activate Skyscraper!" Huge buildings exploded all around them. "This field magic card, while in play, means that whenever a monster with Hero in its name would lose in battle against a monster that is stronger, it gains 1000 attack points! Go Zombyra, attack Dark Magician!" (3100/500) The hero leapt forwards and punched right through the purple-robed spellcaster. (2900/500)

Deondre- 500

Ken- 2500

Deondre motioned to his set card. "Go Hopes of the Fallen! This trap card triggers when a monster is destroyed as a result of battle. Now I gain life points equal to that monster's attack points!" White light rained over him.

Deondre- 3000

Ken- 2500

Ken slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down. End turn." Zombyra struck a heroic pose and gave Deondre a thumbs-down.

Deondre drew. "I'm going to enjoy blowing you away." He looked at the drawn card and gasped. ("Damn…I might have trouble backing that one up.") "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ken drew twice. "Such a shame. Go Zombyra, attack the Royal Magical Library!" The hero yelled a battle cry and shattered the crystal sphere with one hit. "Then I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn." (1700/500)

Deondre- 1100

Ken- 2500

Deondre closed his eyes and drew. ("Come on, you can't tell me that this guy is going to win, can you?") "Here goes nothing! I sacrifice Gemini Elf to summon Dark Magician Girl!" (2000/1700) The female version of the Dark Magician appeared on his field and winked to her master. "And because Dark Magician is in my graveyard, she gains 300 attack points!" (2300/1700) "End turn!"

Ken drew twice. "Alright, it's time to fuse Chaos Dimension and Skyscraper together!" The building around them twisted and warped horribly. "Chaos Skyscraper now gives any Hero who fights a stronger monster a 3000 attack point boost."

"3000?" Deondre's eyes widened as he watched Zombyra's attack power skyrocket. (4700/500)

"Zombyra, end this foolish duel and his life!" The hero punched a hole through the Dark Magician Girl's chest and blew her into dust. "Die."

"Wrong." Deondre pointed at his face-down card. "I activate the trap card A Single Tear for the Fallen!" As the card said, a single tear fell from the sky and hit the field, sending reverberations through the ground. "This trap card negates the damage to my life points and returns one spellcaster from my graveyard!"

"The Dark Magician hmm?" Ken smirked while Zombyra returned to his field. (1500/500) "What's he going to do?"

"Dark Magician isn't cut out for this one!" Deondre pointed at the ground, where a black leather-wearing form rose up out of the ground. "Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) come out and fight for the fallen!" The spellcaster stood up to its full height and pointed at Zombyra. Then it gave the hero a thumbs-down. "It's time to bring out my full power. When Dark Magician of Chaos comes to the field I may take one magic card from my graveyard and add it to my hand!" He held up Monster Returned. "So I'll be taking this back, thank you very much."

Ken closed his eyes and smirked. "So the bondage mage has returned hmm?" He slid a card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Essence of the Cards. This lets me sacrifice magic and trap cards on my field to gain 1000 life points." One of his face-down cards disappeared in a flash of light.

Deondre- 500

Ken- 3500

"Then I play the magic card Magical Doom. This card, at my end phase, lets me draws cards from my deck equal to the number of magic cards that were sent to my graveyard during this turn. However, those magic cards can not have activated their effects and I must, at the end phase, sacrifice a magic or trap card from my field." He held up his hand and smirked. "I have three magic cards. I'll set them one at a time and sacrifice each one to gain 1000 life points three times."

Deondre- 500

Ken- 6500

Ken pointed at his face-up continuous magic card. "So now I sacrifice my card and draw three. End turn." He drew three cards while his Essence of the Cards blew apart.

Deondre looked down at his deck. "It's time to defeat you! Draw!" He held the drawn card up and closed his eyes. "So be it. If you want to summon a single monster to the field to fight for you, then so will I!"

Ken narrowed his eyes. "Good, bring your best. I want to see your most powerful monster."

_To be continued…_


	19. Suddenly facing your fear

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 19: Suddenly facing your fear

Daniel sighed and sat down in his chair, looking out at the sun. ("I miss Jennie so much…") It had been about a month since he had seen his wife, and honestly it was getting boring around here. ("The only person I can talk to is Ichigo, and what am I going to say to him? He's always busy or studying…")

His thoughts flashed back to Rikuo, and he groaned. ("Darn it…why won't Rykiel just show himself…")

_("If you wanted to fight me already, then all you had to do was ask.")_ Daniel's blood ran cold at the voice that ran in his head and an explosion sent him flying against the back wall of his office.

"Mister Pilkington, what was that…?" Daniel's secretary poked her head into the door, screamed, and then Daniel heard the door slam shut.

"Daniel Pilkington…the other half of the puzzle," Rykiel, who was wearing his huge black cloak, approached the fallen Daniel slowly. "I'm here to finish my business with you."

Daniel stumbled to his feet and glared at the genetic demon angrily. "Did you have to blow a hole in my office wall?"

Lifting his arm, Rykiel's duel disk slid into place and a shroud of darkness fell across the room, leaving the two standing in the darkness realm. "I hope you're ready to face a punishment like that of Rikuo's."

"When I beat you, I'm going to undo what you did to him." Daniel picked up his duel disk and slid his deck into it. "Let's begin!"

Daniel- 4000

Rykiel- 4000

Rykiel drew. "Since I threw the gauntlet, I'll go first." He smirked calmly enough to reveal a single fang. "I'm curious to see if you've improved at all in this time." Two cards were slid into his disk. "I set two cards face-down and one monster in defense mode. End turn."

Daniel drew. ("Rykiel's strategy is impossible to pin down. It's such a random mix that there's no specific way to counter it.") "I summon Red Gadget (1300/1500) in defense mode!" A red robot appeared on his field in a crouching position. Taking a card out of his deck, he inserted into his hand. "This monster lets me take a Yellow Gadget (1200/1200) from my deck and add it to my hand." Then he slid two cards into his disk. "Also, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Rykiel drew. "You're going to try to use your Mobile Fortress Stronghold combo in the next turn." Shaking his head, the genetic demon slid a card into his disk. "From my hand, I activate the magic card Balance Crash. This card will only work if we have the same number of magic and trap cards on the field. If this is so…" An explosion echoed across the field and blew all six cards away. "…then everything will be destroyed."

Daniel's eyes widened in surprise.

Rykiel snickered and slapped a card down. "Dark Mathematician (1000/500) in defense mode." A bearded demon appeared on his field in a crouching position. "When this monster is summoned I must send three cards from my deck into my graveyard." He slid three cards into his graveyard slot. "Then I play the magic card Flames of Hell!" The demon screamed and exploded into flames. "This card lets me special summon Diablo (2000/1700) to the field!" A towering red-skinned demon appeared on his field in a standing position. "This monster, when summoned, allows me to play Necrowhip!" A whip made of red muscle tissue appeared in the hand of the demon. "This card lets me special summon out monsters from my graveyard to the field!"

The forms of the Dark Mathematician appeared on the field. Next to it was a towering red-skinned ogre. "This is Dark Basher." (2400/0) "As long as it is on the field, all Dark monsters deal damage through defense. Because of the effect of my Necrowhip I cannot attack during this turn." Rykiel pointed at the Dark Mathematician. "And when summoned this monster forces three cards off of my deck. End turn."

Daniel drew. ("What am I going to do…?") Glancing at the drawn card, he closed his eyes and smiled. "I'm not so easy to bum rush. From my hand I play the magic card Turn Back the Clock! By discarding one card from my hand I can return all the cards to my field that was destroyed one turn ago. However, all cards on my field are sent to my graveyard at the end of the turn!"

His Red Gadget returned the field, and so did his two face-down cards. "Now activate face-down trap monster! Go Mobile Fortress Stronghold!" (0/2000) A huge white robot appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Then I play the magic card True Bond of Brothers! By paying 1000 life points I can special summon two level four or lower monsters of the same type as a monster on my field! Go Green Gadget (1400/600) and Yellow Gadget!" (1200/1200) A yellow robot and a green robot appeared on his field in standing positions. "You've just lost. While the three Gadgets are on the field Mobile Fortress has an attack power of 3000!" (3000/2000) The huge white machine snapped its fist forwards and shattered Diablo.

Daniel- 3000

Rykiel- 3000

Rykiel smirked as his monster disappeared and the Necrowhip's effect sent his other monsters to the graveyard. "Impressive…but not good enough. When destroyed by an effect other than battle, Dark Mathematician lets me draw three cards." Sliding three cards off of his deck, the genetic demon licked his lips at whatever he saw.

"Go Gadgets, direct attack!" The three machines launched forwards, ready to pound Rykiel's head in. "You've lost!"

"Oh have I?" Rykiel slid all three cards into his disk. "Activate the effect of Kuriboh." (300/200) Three furballs appeared onto his field, and each one squeaked right before it was blown apart by the tackle of one of the machines.

"Three Kuribohs?" Daniel frowned and slid a card into his disk. "I activate Emergency Provisions. This magic card lets me sacrifice Mobile Fortress Stronghold and my face-down card to gain 2000 life points!" The giant white robot and the face-down cards both shimmered out of existence. "End turn." The three Gadgets disappeared as the second effect of his magic card went into effect.

Daniel- 5000

Rykiel- 3000

Rykiel drew. "You're good, but you still have too many flaws with your deck. Let me show you what I mean." He slapped the card down. "I summon Dark Scales!" (1500/1200) A demon carrying a pair of metal scales on its back appeared on the field. "Now I make a direct attack on your life points!" The monster released a blast of energy out of its eyes that slammed into Daniel's chest.

Daniel- 3500

Rykiel- 3000

"When Dark Scales deals damage to your life points, I draw one card." The genetic demon drew and slid the card into his disk. "I set this card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Daniel drew. "I'm not finished yet!" Holding up his drawn card, he smirked. "This magic card is called Keeper's Ritual. By sacrificing four level stars worth of monsters I can ritual summon out a monster!" He discarded the Yellow Gadget in his hand and a robot with a huge wrench on its back appeared on the field. "This is the Keeper of the Clock Tower!" (1400/1600) "When summoned he lets me play Clock Tower from any location!"

All around them the field warped and turned into the inside of a giant clock tower. "Within this place, all Clockwork monsters gain 200 extra attack and defense points! Also, every turn a counter will be attached to this card!" (1600/1800) "Attack the Dark Scales now Keeper!"

"Trap card activate!" Rykiel snickered as an explosion of flames consumed the Keeper and blew it. "Supreme Death activates when you declare an attack. It destroys your monster and forces cards off of my deck equal to the level of the monster." He slid four cards off of his deck and inserted them into his graveyard.

Daniel closed his eyes and frowned. "End turn."

Rykiel drew. "I summon Dark Salamander!" (1900/700) A dark-skinned lizard appeared on the field. "Direct attack!" Both of his monsters blasted Daniel with their respective attacks and returned to their master's field.

Daniel- 100

Rykiel- 3000

"And as per the effect of Dark Scales, I draw one card." Rykiel removed the top card from his deck and slid it into his disk. "Finally, I set this face-down and end my turn."

Daniel drew. "Pot of Greed!" Snapping two cards off of his disk, he nodded and threw both down. "When drawn, Clockwork Runners (500/500) are summoned in defense mode immediately and I draw one card." He slid two cards off of his deck while a pair of machine mice appeared on his field. "Then I sacrifice these two monsters to summon out Clockwork King!" The two mice disappeared and were replaced by a towering metal robot in regal robes. (2600/2400) "This monster, when summoned, forces the turn count of the duel ahead by one turn for every monster in my graveyard!"

Turn Count since Clock Tower's activation- 7

"Go King, attack the Dark Scales!" The machine monster leapt forwards and punched a hole in the demon's chest.

Daniel- 100

Rykiel- 1900

Rykiel snapped his fingers and his face-down card flipped up. "I activate the trap card Healing Breeze. When a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle I gain 2000 life points."

Daniel- 100

Rykiel- 3900

Frowning, Daniel slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Rykiel drew. "And to counter your King I sacrifice Dark Salamander to summon Dark Thundercloud!" (1800/800) A black cloud appeared over his field. "This monster, when summoned, destroys all machine monsters in play!" The Thundercloud released a blast of lightning that blew Daniel's monster apart. "Now feel my direct attack!" The cloud rumbled and released a blast of lightning that hurtled towards Daniel.

Daniel motioned to his set card. "I activate Safeguard!" A steel shield appeared in front of him and blocked the attack. "This quickplay magic card defends one target from an attack."

Snarling, Rykiel took a deep breath. "You're much better at dodging than Rikuo…but you cannot dodge any longer. End turn."

Daniel drew. "I won't be dodging anymore! Go magic card!" An explosion of energy curled around his arm. "This card is called Burst of Power. When activated, I may draw three cards at the cost of discarding my whole hand at the end of the turn!" Sliding three cards off of his deck, the half wolf-demon smirked. "Get ready, because by the end of this turn I won't have a hand to discard anyway."

His first card appeared on the field. "I activate Clock Hand. This card lets me special summon one level three or lower Clockwork monster from my deck to the field!" A robot in priestly robes appeared on the field. "Clockwork Priest (1500/1300) in attack mode! And when this card is summoned I create one Clockwork Gear Token!" (500/500) A little metal gear appeared on the field next to its creator. "They won't be sticking around long though, because I sacrifice both of these creatures to summon out Irios the Steel Monarch!" (2700/2300) A humanoid robot made of gears appeared on the field. "During the turn this monster is tribute summoned its attack is doubled if it my only attacking monster!" (5400/2300)

"I'll still live through the damage." Rykiel snickered calmly. He knew that his next draw was going to be capable of destroying Irios.

"Actually," Daniel held up the last card in his hand. "From my hand I activate the quickplay magic card Limiter Removal! When played, this card doubles the attack of all machine monsters!" (10800/2300) "Go Irios, wipe out the Thundercloud!" The machine monarch charged…

…and stumbled to a stop, looking up at the Thundercloud helplessly. Then it exploded into dust.

Rykiel started to laugh crazily. "You fool! Dark Thundercloud cannot be attacked by earth attribute monsters. Therefore, the secondary effect of Limiter Removal destroys Irios, since you have no other moves to play!"

Daniel's eyes went impossibly wide. ("No way….I'm going to lose because of my own mistake.")

Rykiel drew. "Farewell. Dark Thundercloud, attack his life points directly!" The cloud released a blast of black lightning that hurtled down towards Daniel.

"I'm not out yet! Super Electric Turtle (0/1800) has an effect that can only be used in my graveyard!" Bolts of lightning launched out of Daniel's graveyard and intercepted the other attack. "It will negate one attack."

"Clever…" Rykiel slid a card into his disk. "So I set one card face-down and end my turn."

("Super Electric Turtle was a good secret to use…but now I'm down to my next draw.") Daniel looked down at his deck…and felt a pulse. ("That feeling…") His eyes widened slightly as the top card of his deck started glowing. ("Alright, it's time to see just what's behind door number one.") He drew, held the card up to his face, and sneered. "Rykiel…this duel is far from done."

"Hm?" The genetic demon crossed his arms across his chest and waited patiently. ("I want to savor your last moments of pride. Then I'll rip that pride away from you, Pilkington.")

"You heard me." Daniel slid the drawn card into his disk. "It's time to awaken a monster you cannot defeat."

"A monster I cannot defeat. You must be delusional…there is no such thing." Rykiel thumbed at himself. "I am perfect."

"We'll see…"

_To be continued…_

To Seeker of the Soul: That's a good point you bring up. Can the younger students even hope to defeat the Chaos Riders if they had to face them?

To Gryphinwyrm: Deondre says that he appreciates the cheering.

To Bobbomp: Zombyra freak huh? Bah! This guy's pretty mild compared to some of my other villains.

To Anime Albino: Not every chapter can have a Kuriboh in it.

To Demon Fan: Weak huh? Is that why he was messing up Deondre?

To Seth: So I guess that's Ken's new nickname.

To Luna's Meow: Indeed I did actually. Rikuo briefly explained it during the World Tour Arc when he was dueling Sestros.

To Hogwarts-Knight: I'm not going to tell you what his best card is. Sorry, you'll have to wait until the next chapter.


	20. The best of the best

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 20: The best of the best

_A demon that looked a flaming version of the Terrorking Archfiend appeared on his field. "So now I special summon Hellking of the Abyss." (2000/1500) "This cards special ability forces any monster it battles with into attack mode! Attack Big Shield Gardna now!" Snarling, the demon launched forwards and slammed its fist against the warrior's shield, forcing it to its feet. "Blood Drainer!" The follow-up punch broke right through CJ's monster and flew onwards to slam into CJ's chest, sending him flying to the edge of the railing on the deck._

_CJ- 600_

_Basil- 3400_

_Coughing out globs of blood, CJ pointed at his Long Ordeal card. It released a green glow._

_CJ- 100_

_Basil- 3400_

_Stumbling back to his field, CJ drew. "I'm…not out yet. Draw!" He drew again._

"_Not so fast big man." Basil pointed at the card CJ had drawn, and it disappeared. "When Hellking destroys a monster in also destroys all magic and trap cards in play." A burst of flames launched up and shattered CJ's two continuous cards. "So you get back your life points."_

_CJ- 600_

_Basil- 3400_

_CJ wiped some blood from his mouth and looked at the drawn card. He slid it into his disk. "So you want to fight serious? Fine…let's go!"_

Basil's eyes widened as both Berfomet and Igzarion Universe disappeared. "Where did your monsters go?"

"They were sacrificed." CJ pointed at a pair of stone urns that stood on his field. "And like any good sacrifice they weren't given up in vain! I sacrifice Berfomet and Igzarion Universe…."

"…to summon the ultimate warrior!" A humanoid in smooth gold armor and wielding a pair of golden swords appeared on CJ's field. "I ritual summon Warrior Incarnate through the effect of the ritual magic card Trials of the Mighty!" (0/0)

"Your monster has zero attack points, so it's no threat to me." Basil pointed at his monster. "Hellking of the Abyss will be your death."

CJ pointed at the demon. "Warrior Incarnate, attack the Hellking now!"

"Idiot." Basil pointed at the warrior. "Hellking, kill it."

"Wrong." CJ pointed at his now charging warrior. "Warrior Incarnate's special ability activates now! When it battles against a demon monster, its attack points rise to 3000!" (3000/3000) The warrior swung its swords and turned the Hellking into dust. (0/0)

CJ- 600

Basil- 2400

Basil frowned and drew. "Now I'm angry. And if there is one thing you should never do, it's make me angry. Monster Reborn!" The Hellking reappeared on his field. "Then I sacrifice Hellking to summon Flame Majin Hell Burner!" (2800/1200) A warped mix of demon and insect appeared on his field. "This monster, when summoned, sends all cards on my hand and on my field to the graveyard. However, for every monster on your field my creature's attack strength rises by 200 points." (3000/1200) "End turn."

CJ looked down at his deck. Then he smirked. "You think it matters?"

"What are you talking about? Of course it matters." Basil growled angrily and pointed at the Warrior Incarnate. "If you summon another monster, then my monster's attack points will become too high for your monster to match."

"There won't be another monster." CJ slid the drawn card into his duel disk. "While my monster may have no base attack or defense points, that doesn't mean he's helpless. There isn't any kind of equipment magic card in my deck that will help him, but maybe this'll even the odds! From my hand, I activate the magic card Warrior's Heart! Go Warrior Incarnate; attack his Flame Majin Hell Burner now!" Lifting its swords, the warrior leapt across the field. (3000/3000)

Basil pointed at the warrior. "Feel the pain of hell! From my graveyard I activate the final effect of the Hellking! By removing it from play, I can protect one monster on my field with Hell in its title from destruction!" The Flame Majin released a blast of fire from its warped maw that consumed the Warrior Incarnate and blew it apart. "You've just lost."

Jared's eyes widened as he watched one of CJ's best warriors get taken apart in a flash of fire. "Oh man…what's CJ going to do now?"

"I've just lost?" CJ's lips lifted slightly and he pointed at his field. "Think again. Take a look at the field."

Basil's eyes widened as the form of the Warrior Incarnate reappeared on the field. It looked to CJ, gave him a nod, and then disappeared. "What was that about?"

"Warrior's Heart lets me draw cards equal to the level stars of one warrior monster that was destroyed as a result of battle during this turn. However, the max number of cards that can be drawn from this effect is four." Sliding four cards off of his deck, CJ glanced at each one and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field and a monster in defense mode. End turn."

Basil drew. "You're finished! I summon another Hellking of the Abyss!" (2000/1500) A second of the flaming demons appeared on the field. "Attack the defense mode monster!" Roaring, the monster punched into the set card and blew it apart. "Now to finish…"

"Reverse card open!" CJ pointed at his set card. "Flat Level Four! This trap is activated when a monster from my field is destroyed as a result of battle. Now both of us must summon a level four monster from our deck to the field!" He caught two cards and threw them down. "The first monster I summon is Giant Rat (1400/1450) in attack mode, thanks to the effect of the face-down Giant Rat that you destroyed!" A large grey rat appeared on his field. "Also, the monster summoned through the effect of Flat Level Four is Rage Fighter!" (2000/1600) A muscled warrior with a giant battle-axe across its back appeared on the field. "Also in attack mode."

"Then you've lost. First I'll summon out another Hellking of the Abyss through the effect of your trap!" Another of the flaming demons appeared on the field on the other side of the Hell Burner. "Then I attack your Rage Fighter with Flame Majin Hell Burner!" (3200/1200) The bug beast roared and released a burst of fire that hurtled towards CJ. "Prepare to lose your soul!"

"The only person losing anything here is you." CJ discarded a card from his hand. "I discard Battle Tactician." The burst of fire sputtered into sparks. "When there is one warrior monster in play with a monster of a different type on my field, then I may discard this magic card from my hand to end your battle phase immediately."

Basil spat onto the deck. "Take your damned turn then."

CJ drew. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards." Sliding two cards off of his deck, he added them to his single hand card. "This duel is finished."

"Prove it! As long as Flame Majin Hell Burner is in play I've got the ultimate attacker!" Basil pointed at the sick creature and it roared again.

"I can't beat your monster…yet." CJ slid three cards into his disk. "From my hand I play these three magic cards! First an equipment magic card called United We Stand! When equipped to a monster on the field its attack and defense strength rise by 800 times the number of monsters on my field." Rage Fighter hefted its axe and eyed the Flame Majin angrily. (3600/3200)

("Shit…") Basil glanced at his life points and took a deep breath. He was safe as long as he still had life points.

"Then from my hand comes the equipment magic card Explosive Rage!" The Flame Majin roared and doubled in size. "When played this card will double the attack of its target." (6400/1200)

"Why did you double the attack of my monster?"

CJ pointed to his last face-up card. "And finally, the magic card Wild Nature's Release. This card will transfer a beast monster's defense to its attack points." The Giant Rat chattered and its fur bunched up as pure muscle exploded along its frame. (2950/0)

"What are you doing?" Basil pointed at CJ. "Why did you raise…"

"Rage Fighter, attack Flame Majin now!" Roaring, the warrior leapt across the field and was immediately consumed in a torrent of flame. "Rage Fighter's special ability activates now! When this monster is destroyed as a result of battle by something with less than double its attack points, all battle damage to me is zero."

Basil was about to ask another question, but the pained roars of his monster caught his attention. "What…." An explosion rocked his field as his Flame Majin exploded in a flash of smoke and fire. "Impossible…."

"Explosive Rage isn't a figure of expression." CJ pointed at his opponent's empty. "When the monster equipped with Explosive Rage battles it is destroyed after the fight. Also, all monsters on your field are caught in the explosion and destroyed."

Basil ground his teeth just in time to feel the razor-sharp fangs of the Giant Rat bite into his shoulder.

CJ- 600

Basil- 0

_Deondre looked down at his deck. "It's time to defeat you! Draw!" He held the drawn card up and closed his eyes. "So be it. If you want to summon a single monster to the field to fight for you, then so will I!"_

_Ken narrowed his eyes. "Good, bring your best. I want to see your most powerful monster."_

Deondre slid Monster Returned into his graveyard. "I offer one magic card from my hand, and one dark spellcaster of level seven or higher…" The Dark Magician of Chaos faded away, and a black shape began to form on his field.

The new monster on Deondre's field was a black-robed swordsman holding a single huge claymore strapped across its back. "Legendary Spellsword (2500/2300) in attack mode!" Deondre's hand flashed across the top of his deck. "When this card is summoned to the field I draw five cards, discarding any monsters. The remaining magic and trap cards are also discarded, but a number of magic counters equal to them will be equipped to my Spellsword." He looked at all five of the cards and smirked, discarding them. "I discard five magic and trap cards to give Spellsword five counters!" Five glowing beads appeared over the head of the warrior.

Ken frowned and pointed at Deondre. Zombyra mimicked the motion, though it was pointing at the Spellsword. "You don't actually think that monster can defeat me, do you? Chaos Skyscraper will raise the attack of my monster by 3000 points when they battle, so I will win."

"We'll see about that!" Deondre pointed at Zombyra. "Legendary Spellsword's special ability activates!" One of the beads of light disappeared. "Now I may destroy one monster in play!" The warrior released a blast of energy from its sword that slammed into Zombyra and blew it apart.

Moments later the superhero reappeared. "Did you forget that Zombyra has Shadow Counters on? As long as these are attached he will be impossible to destroy!"

Deondre calmly pointed at Zombyra. "Activate special ability." The Spellsword swung its sword and another blast of energy blew Zombyra apart. As soon as it reformed he pointed at it again. "Again!" Another blast slammed into Zombyra and this time the monster blew apart permanently.

Ken ground his teeth and pointed at his face-down card. "Reveal Self Sacrifice!" Closing his eyes, he roared as loud as he could. White mist flowed out of his body and formed into Zombyra on his field. "By…" Taking a moment to catch his breath, the spiky-haired man snickered. "…paying 1000 life points I can restore life to my monster."

Deondre- 500

Ken- 5500

"What a waste." Deondre pointed at Zombyra. "Spellsword, activate your effect!" The second to last counter disappeared and another blast hurtled towards Ken's monster.

"Reverse card open!" Ken's remaining face-down card flipped up. "Rebirth Immunity! This trap card works only when a monster that was special summoned during this turn would be destroyed. The effect is negated and the monster becomes indestructible until the end of the turn!" The blast hit Zombyra, who casually back-handed it aside.

Deondre grimaced. "End turn."

Ken drew twice. "Zombyra, show that fool the error of his ways! Go!" The warrior leapt forwards and prepared to drive its fist through the Spellsword's face.

"Activate another of Spellsword's effects!" The warrior's last counter disappeared and it leapt into the air. Swinging its sword in a full circle, it created a glowing barrier of light that blocked Zombyra's attack. "This ability removes a magic counter and negates any one attack."

Growling, Ken slid the two drawn cards into his disk. "I set four cards face-down on the field and end my turn."

Deondre drew. "I won't flinch this time. Get ready Ken, because this is the end!" Holding up his drawn card, he remained expressionless. "Magic card activate! Card of Demise lets me draw until I hold five cards in my hand!" Snapping five cards off of his deck, the dog demon nodded. "I discard three cards from my hand to supply my monster with three more counters!" Three glowing motes of light appeared over the Spellsword's head. "Now I remove one counter to destroy Zombyra!"

"I reveal my Shield of Magic trap card! This will protect Zombyra from destruction by any effect other than battle at the cost of one magic or trap card on my field per turn." Ken's Final Attack Orders trap card disappeared and the blast that threatened to destroy Zombyra disappeared before it ever left the end of the warrior's sword.

Deondre slid another card into his disk. "Next I activate the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your middle card!" A blast of wind blew Ken's middle face-down apart. "Then I order Spellsword to activate another effect! By removing another counter, I'll destroy a magic or trap card in play!" The warrior threw its sword, which pierced the face-down card and blew it apart. "Then I use the effect again!" Again the sword flew through the air and blew the other set card apart. "Now Zombyra is finished."

"Oh really? Chaos Skyscraper raises the attack power of by 3000 if you attack, and that means you can't attack. Nice try." Ken pointed at Deondre. "Now end your turn!"

"I would…" Deondre slid the remaining card in his hand into his disk. "But I have plans first!" An explosion of energy surged through the Spellsword's weapon as the blade changed into a heavy fang-shaped weapon. "I activate the Legendary Weapon Card Shattering Fang! With this card the attack power of Spellsword rises by 1000 and it can once per turn send a magic or trap card on the field to the graveyard!" The warrior slammed the blade into the ground and a wave of energy hurtled towards Ken's disk. "Chaos Skyscraper is about to leave!"

"Oh really?" Ken sneered as a blast of wind stopped the wave in its tracks. "Actually, if anyone other than the owner of the card tries to affect it with a target effect then the ability will be sent back to its sender!" The wave turned into an arrow that hurtled through the air and blew the Shattering Fang apart. "Sorry, but you lose."

Deondre's lips lifted slightly. "Oh is that so?" A halo of light appeared around the body of the Spellsword. "Truthfully, I was pretty sure your Chaos Dimension was going to do that. I was so sure in fact that I planned on it happening!"

"You planned on it happening?" Ken pointed at Deondre. "Alright, so end your turn then. If you knew your card was going to be destroyed, then why waste it?"

"I waste nothing." Deondre pointed at his Spellsword. "When Shattering Fang is sent to the graveyard by an opponent's card effect ten spell counters are added to one target on my field!"

"So what, my trap card protects Zombyra for this turn." Ken snickered calmly…until he realized that Deondre was snickering as well.

"Spellsword special ability…number three." Deondre pointed at Zombyra. "By removing a spell counter I can bring the attack of an enemy monster down by 1000. So I'll sacrifice two counters!" Two glowing bands of steel chain wrapped around Zombyra. "Now your monster has zero attack points." (0/500)

"Fool! Chaos Skyscraper will make my monster stronger than yours if you attack!" Ken wiped a drop of sweat away from his brow.

Deondre pointed at his monster. "Special ability number four. By sacrificing a counter I can raise the attack points of my monster by 1000 for one turn!" The remaining eight counters disappeared. (10500/2300)

Ken's eyes widened. "No…"

"Spellsword, attack Zombyra the Dark Hero!" Nodding, the warrior somersaulted through the air and came down with its sword-point leading. It pierced Zombyra's face mask and blew the warrior apart. "You lose."

Deondre- 500

Ken- 0

"I'm not beaten yet." Ken discarded the card he was still holding. "This card is called Chaos Disruption. If it is in my hand when I am about to lose, then Chaos Dimension is sent to the graveyard." Moments later the two of them were standing in the aisle of the plane. "I miscalculated this time. Next time will be the last." Ken threw something onto the ground and disappeared in an explosion of smoke.

Deondre ignored the looks of utter confusion he was getting. ("Ken…you and I will finish this next time. I promise you that.")

"_Hm?" The genetic demon crossed his arms across his chest and waited patiently. ("I want to savor your last moments of pride. Then I'll rip that pride away from you, Pilkington.")_

"_You heard me." Daniel slid the drawn card into his disk. "It's time to awaken a monster you cannot defeat."_

"_A monster I cannot defeat. You must be delusional…there is no such thing." Rykiel thumbed at himself. "I am perfect."_

"_We'll see…"_

Daniel held up his life point counter. "I sacrifice half of my life points to activate the magic card Nuclear Fusion." He drew five cards from his deck. "Now I discard all magic and trap cards that I drew." Two cards were pulled into his graveyard. "With the remaining cards, one of them must be Jinzo." (2400/1500) Holding up the three cards, Daniel smirked. "And just to let you know, it is Jinzo."

Rykiel narrowed his eyes.

The green armored humanoid appeared on Daniel's field. "If the other two monsters in my hand are machines, then I may send them to the graveyard to create the fusion capable of bringing you down!" A hunk of disfigured metal and a red robot appeared on Daniel's field and then exploded. "I sacrifice these two monsters to fuse with Jinzo!"

The two machines blew apart and Jinzo changed. Now it was covered with grey steel armor from head to toe, with absolutely none of its synthetic showing. "Say hello to Nuclear Psycho Shocker!" (2800/2000)

"Nuclear Psycho Shocker?" Rykiel already knew his face-down trap was useless, but now was curious as to what this monster could do. "Well…what's it effect?"

"It has an effect just like Jinzo's, but with a little twist." Daniel pointed at the face-down card on his opponent's field. "When summoned this monster reveals all cards in our hands and magic/trap zones. All trap cards are sent to the graveyard and we each take 1000 points of damage per trap removed in this manner. Also, this effect works whenever either of us draws cards!" The metallic monster rumbled and its eyes lenses flipped open to release a green ray of light that shattered Rykiel's set card. All of the pieces of Rykiel's card flew through the air and stabbed into the flesh of their owner.

Daniel- 100

Rykiel- 2900

"Nuclear Psycho Shocker, attack his Thundercloud!" Howling, Daniel's monster opened a hatch on its chest and released a green blast of energy that blew away the evil cloud.

Daniel- 100

Rykiel- 1900

Rykiel drew. "I'm far from done. From my hand I play the magic card Dark Attraction. When used, this card forces all machine monsters in play to switch into defense mode." Groaning in anger, Nuclear Psycho Shocker fell to one knee. "Also, this effect lets me revive one monster with Dark in its title to my field." With a roar the Dark Thundercloud reappeared. "Now your monster is destroyed!" A single bolt of lightning came down and blew Nuclear Psycho Shocker.

And Nuclear Psycho Shocker retaliated by exploding with enough force that an actual mushroom cloud formed from the blast. When the smoke cleared the field was empty.

Daniel drew. "You're good, but it doesn't matter. When destroyed Nuclear Psycho Shocker takes every card on the field with it." He slapped the drawn card down. "Mechanical Chaser attacks your life points directly!" A spindly-armed robot appeared on his field and slammed a scythe down onto Rykiel's shoulder. "End turn." (1850/800)

Daniel- 100

Rykiel- 50

Rykiel closed his eyes. ("I feel it…will I finally lose to a worthy opponent?") He drew. "Damn it…from my hand I play Hell Blast. This card only activates when I have no monsters in play. It will destroy all monsters you have in play and deal you half of their total attack in damage." An explosion of fire consumed Daniel, dropping his weakened body moments later to the floor of his office.

Daniel- 0

Rykiel- 50

("I lost….I'm sorry Rikuo.") Daniel slowly came to his feet, only to see that Rykiel was gone. "Where…"

Rykiel frowned and turned to look out at the ocean. "I did as you said. Though I advise against letting him get off with no punishment…I will abide by your will."

The sound of crystals reached his ears. "As you wish, Chaos."

_To be continued…_


	21. A lesson learned

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 21: A lesson learned

"Ichigo Pilkington, I challenge you!" Adriel's finger came a few inches from Ichigo's face.

Freezing in mid-yawn, Ichigo slowly closed his mouth and smirked slightly at the black-haired boy. "Right now huh? Don't you think it's the wrong time for this?"

"I'm going to destroy you for your insults against me!" Adriel pointed to the front of the classroom, where the teacher stood in stunned silence. "And don't try to stop us!"

Nodding dumbly, the teacher returned to his desk while the two boys went down and took their positions on the field.

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Adriel drew. "Challenger gets first honors! I play Pot of Greed!" Snapping two cards off of his disk, he snickered coldly. "Then I play the magic card Army of Dragons! By discarding two cards I can special summon two dragons from my hand that are level four or lower to the field!" A red and white dragon along with a pure blue dragon appeared in play. "Spear Dragon and Masked Dragon! Now I sacrifice these two monsters to summon Tyrant Dragon!" (2900/2500) A towering red-scaled dragon appeared on his field. "Finally I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Sighing, Ichigo drew. "Tyrant Dragon huh?"

Adriel shook a finger in the air. "Not just Tyrant Dragon…also a trap card! Activate Imperial Order!" His face-down card flipped up. "As long as this continuous trap card is in play all magic cards will be negated."

"Interesting…but otherwise…" Ichigo slapped a card onto his field. "Go Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh (300/200) in attack mode!" A little furball in a tuxedo appeared on his field and squealed happily. "Then I play the equipment magic card Cyber Spear!"

"And your Cyber Spear is immediately negated and destroyed!" Adriel yelled happily as a glowing spear appeared on Ichigo's field and then blew apart. "What did you think was going to happen?"

"I thought my card was going to get destroyed!" Ichigo pointed at Imperial Order. "Cyber Spear, when destroyed, destroys a magic or trap card on the field!" The continuous trap card shattered. "Then I set two cards face-down on the field. After that I play Card of Sanctity. Now we both draw until we are holding six cards!" He snapped five cards off of his deck.

"Thanks for the recharge, Pilkington." Adriel held up his six card hand. "These cards are perfect for dealing with you."

"You'll never get the chance to use them!" Ichigo slid another card into his disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Special Operative Weapon-Stinger!" A futuristic rocket launcher appeared next to Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh. "This card can twice destroy one monster on the field with 1500 more attack points than the equipped monster. Fire!" The little furball pulled the trigger on the weapon and a rocket hurtled across the field to blow the Tyrant Dragon apart.

Adriel ground his teeth, but held his temper in check. "You've already summoned during this turn, so I'm safe."

"Wrong!" Ichigo pointed at his set card. "Go Polymerization! I fuse Cyber Shadow-Blademaster (2000/1600) and Cyber Shadow-Assassin (1000/800) together to create Special Operative-Fox!" (2200/1200) A warrior in a steel armor suit appeared on the field. In its hands rested a single glowing katana, and its single red robotic eye watched Adriel coldly. "This monster can attack twice each battle phase. Double Cyber Slash!" Leaping forwards, the ninja left two glowing cuts along Adriel's chest that quickly faded away as the duel ended.

Adriel- 0

Ichigo- 4000

Adriel stood still, eyes wide. "But I didn't…even…"

Ichigo shrugged innocently and shuffled his cards together. "You're the one who challenged me. Sorry." He returned to his seat.

Adriel numbly followed him.

* * *

("Why can't I defeat him?") Adriel snarled and ran his fist through the tree in front of him. "No matter how hard I try, and no matter what new strategies I come up with, he always wins!" Throwing back his head, the boy screamed into the air. "I want him destroyed!"

"Destroyed?" A calm voice said from behind him. "I think I can help you…"

Adriel turned slowly, coming face to cowl with a black-cloaked man. "What do you want? If you want my soul in a duel then let's get this over with. I'm not done screaming to the heavens yet."

"A duel? Alright then, I'll show you what you lack." Chuckling, the man tapped his clothed temple. "Watch closely…."

* * *

"Did you have to beat him in one turn?" Griff sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Couldn't you have dragged the duel out a little?"

"I never play around. If someone challenges me then they'd better be ready for hell." Ichigo moon-walked past Griff, smiling widely as he continued his rendition of his 'I'm the best' dance.

Krieger watched his roommate slide past him. "I wish I was in the same classes as you two. I never get to have any fun."

"Don't let it worry you buddy." Ichigo broke into a random handstand and then hopped back onto his feet. "There wasn't much to see. His Tyrant Dragon was there, and then it disappeared when it was blown away by my Kuriboh."

An echoing explosion brought him out of his reverie. "Now what? Somebody attacking the school?"

"Nope…that explosion would be Adriel walking through a wall and slowly moving in your general direction." Griff took a good ten steps away from Ichigo, as did Krieger. "Good luck there buddy."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Ichigo turned to see Adriel approach. "Hey there Adriel, how's it hanging?"

"The only hanging around here will be yours." The duelist lifted his lips slightly, revealing a pair of fangs. "I challenge you."

Ichigo held up his duel disk, which was still on his arm. "Oh, I'd be glad to smack you around again. Do you think you'll be able to hold on for more than one turn this time?"

"A turn…" Adriel's eyes flashed red as memories went through his mind. "This time, I'll kill you!" His duel coat beeped and activated. "Prepare to face my true power!"

A crowd had already developed around the two. Ichigo's reputation as the Blue Osiris was still heavily in effect amongst the student body.

Ichigo- 4000

Adriel- 4000

Adriel drew. "Go Carbonedon (900/600) in defense mode!" A grey-colored wingless dragon appeared on the field in a crouching position. "End turn!"

Ichigo drew. "Oh yeah, I'm shaking in my boots at your weakling.I summon Cyber Shadow-Assassin (1000/800) in attack mode!" A black-clothed thin warrior appeared on his field. "Attack Carbonedon!" Pulling a glowing prismatic dagger from out of nowhere, the warrior leapt through the air and slashed the monster apart. "Also, I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Adriel drew. "So you mock me by summoning a weak monster to attack with? I'll make you pay for that. First, the Pot of Greed. This lets me draw two cards." Sliding the card into his graveyard, he snickered calmly and drew. "Then I summon Luster Dragon!" (1900/1600) A sapphire-covered dragon appeared on his field. "Attack Assassin!"

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo pointed at his set card and his Assassin leaped aside as the Luster Dragon launched past it. "Narrow Escape protects one Cyber Shadow monster from an attack, and also I can set one magic or trap card from my hand onto my field. This card can be played during this turn if I wish it." Sliding a card from his hand into his disk, Ichigo pointed at Adriel. "Try again Zaytel."

Adriel's eyes, which still shimmered red, narrowed. "Continue to mock me all you like…I'm beyond your insults now. I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Soldier (1600/1600) in attack mode!" A larger warrior appeared next to the Assassin. "And in combination I play the equipment magic card Special Operative Weapon-Socom!" A heavy pistol appeared in the Soldier's hand. "This magic card lets me reduce the attack of a monster on the field by 500!" Soldier lifted the weapon and pulled the trigger, a bullet slamming into the chest of the Luster Dragon. "Luster Dragon's attack power is reduced!" (1400/1600) "Go Soldier, Dark Energy Wave!" Lifting its free hand, the warrior unleashed a beam of black power that hurtled towards the dragon.

"Reverse trap card open!" Adriel pointed at his open set card. "Negate Attack stops your attack and end your battle phase!" The beam slammed into a vortex that instantly dissipated it.

Ichigo slid a card into his duel disk. "Then I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

* * *

"Adriel's doing better…but still…" Griff rubbed his chin. "It's not going to be enough."

"Actually, Ichigo may be in for more than he expected this time." Eri, who had appeared out of nowhere, said calmly.

Griff, who had leapt into a tree the moment he'd heard Eri's voice, poked his head out of the tree and stared at the demoness. "How do you do that?"

"I have my ways." Eri glanced over at Krieger, who was standing a good distance away from her now.

* * *

Adriel drew. "This isn't the Ichigo I want. You're pitiful and weak…I want your real power. And to bring it out I'll show you my skill." He slid the drawn card into his disk. "First I play Stamping Destruction! This magic card lets me destroy one magic or trap card on the field if I have a dragon in play!" Roaring, the Luster Dragon leapt forwards and slammed its foot through one of Ichigo's two set cards, blowing it apart. "Now you take 500 life points of damage."

Ichigo- 3500

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo pointed at his monsters. "I've still got the stronger monster though."

"We'll see about that." Adriel threw a different card down onto his field. "I summon Hydrogedon (1600/1000) in attack mode!" A geyser of brown water sprayed out of the ground and formed into a lizard-like shape. "Hydro Press against Assassin!" Opening its mouth, the monster released a jet of water that blew the warrior apart.

Ichigo- 2900

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo wiped some droplets of water from his chin. "That hurt a little, but not enough…"

"I'm not done yet." Adriel removed a card from his deck and threw it down onto his disk. "When Hydrogedon destroys a monster in battle, it special summons another Hydrogedon from my deck to the field!" Another jet of brown water exploded out of the water and formed into another of the lizard-like creatures. "Now, Hydro Press!" Opening its mouth, the monster released a blast of water that hurtled towards Soldier.

"Soldier, counter-attack with Dark Energy Wave!" Ichigo's monster released a blast of energy that flew past the Hydrogedon's attack. Moments later both monsters were hit by their opponent's attack and blown apart.

Adriel pointed at Ichigo. "While because it was destroyed I can't summon another Hydrogedon to finish you, I will crush you with Luster Dragon!" Roaring, the dragon leapt forward and head-butted Ichigo in the ribs. "End turn."

Ichigo- 1500

Adriel- 4000

* * *

"Well, now Ichigo is going to have to show his true power to defeat an opponent of this caliber." Kenshin cross his arms across his chest and stood next to Eri. "I think he can do it though."

"We'll see." Hitokage narrowed his eyes and looked at Adriel. Something here seemed different about the boy.

"How do you people just appear like that?" Griff yelled from his now permanent spot in the tree.

Erisnickered. "We have our ways."

* * *

Adriel pointed at the kneeling Ichigo. "Show me the real you! I will accept no less!"

Ichigo slowly came to his feet, eyes closed. "You want the real me?" His eyes opened, showing a fire that couldn't be in the heart of any casual duelist. "You've got it! Draw!" Snapping the top card off of his deck, Ichigo glanced at it and slid it into his disk. "Card of Sanctity!" He drew five cards while Adriel drew three. "Then I set one monster in defense mode!" A face-down card appeared on his field. "Also, I set one card face-down on the field. End turn."

Adriel slowly drew. "Alright….let's see what your best is! I play Mystical Space Typhoon on your left set card!" A blast of wind shattered the set card. "Then I summon Nexus Dragon!" (1500/1200) A white plain dragon appeared on his field. "While this monster is in play in combination with monsters of other elements, it gains special abilities! For example, when in play with a wind monster it gains the power to attack twice each turn. Also, while in play with a water attribute monster it gains the ability to defeat any monster in play that has the same attack as it does!" Howling, the Nexus Dragon shimmered and its white frame was replaced by green and blue scales. Also, it had fins along its body and a pair of huge feathery wings.

"Now Hydrogedon, attack the set monster now! Hydro Press!" Roaring, the water monster released a blast of water that shattered Ichigo's set card. "And when I destroy a monster with Hydrogedon, I special summon another Hydrogedon from my deck to the field!" Moments later there were two of the creatures on the field.

Ichigo removed a card from his disk and slapped it down. "You just destroyed Cyber Shadow-Apprentice (200/300) and when you do that I get to special summon a level four or lower warrior Cyber Shadow from my deck to the field! Go Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer!" (0/2400) A warrior hiding behind a huge riot shield appeared on the field.

Adriel slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn for now then."

Ichigo's eyes slowly narrowed and he drew. "What's with you…why are you so calm?"

"Because I have seen the truth. My power was sealed, but now it is awakened." The half dragon demon pointed at Ichigo. "Now continue!"

Ichigo looked at the drawn card. "I play the magic card Hero's Return. This magic card lets me remove two warriors in my graveyard from play. During any standby phase I can sacrifice my draw phase to return those two monsters to my hand." Removing two cards from his graveyard slot, the half-demon inserted the rest of his hand into his disk. "Also I set four cards face-down. End turn."

Adriel drew. "Here it goes…the beginning of your end! I summon Oxygedon (1800/800) in attack mode!" An explosion rocked the field as a creature resembling a pterodactyl made of air appeared in play. "This monster is the key card to your defeat! I'm sure even a simpleton like you can figure this part out." He pointed at his field. "The elements of your doom are on the field."

"The elements of my doom?" Ichigo's eyes widened. "Hydrogen…Oxygen…"

"Water." Adriel held another card. "I play the magic card Bonding H2O! This card lets me send my Oxygedon and two Hydrogedon to the graveyard to special summon a monster made of the purest water!" The three creatures swirled together and formed a huge snake-like dragon made of pure water. "Water Dragon!" (2800/2600) Snarling, the dragon lowered its head to look at Ichigo. "Prepare for the end! Water Dragon, attack with Aqua Punisher!" The dragon released a blast of water that came bearing down on Ichigo's last remaining defense.

_To be continued…_

To Bobbomp: I know how Psycho Shocker got its name too. It got its name because the creator of this game (Takahashi) decided that would be what its name is.

To Anime Albino: ; That's right, you're one of the 'anti-Daniel' people, aren't you?

To Gryphinwyrm: Yeah, we have to keep in mind that Rykiel has a hero's ability to Topdeck out of any situation.

To Seth Vindicare: It's no problem man. Ken probably won't die actually. He's a villain, but not all that evil.

To Seeker of the Soul: You speak correctly on all accounts sir. Also, the Legendary Spellsword is indeed ridiculously broken.

To G.O.T. Nick: Yep, you pretty much summed up the whole chapter.

To Luna's Meow: You're welcome.

To Hogwarts-Knight: I plead the fifth on that question.

To Rex: Another thank you is in order.

To whitewolf: That isn't totally true. Rykiel doesn't mind revealing his tricks….its just that he actually almost wishes he could lose to someone.

To Nanashi Minimino: Everything will work out. No one escapes unscathed in my world.

To john: WTH are you talking about?

To dragonlords: My apologies, but I won't use that card. A 500 increase is good alone, but in combination with the immunity to magic and trap cards? Sorry, but if any field magic card goes into Daniel's deck, it's Clock Tower. My apologies, but I won't use this card. If Gryphinwyrm wants to he can, but that is his choice.

To Star: HE SHALL!


	22. Water is awakening, right?

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 22: Water's awakening…..right?

_Adriel drew. "Here it goes…the beginning of your end! I summon Oxygedon (1800/800) in attack mode!" An explosion of air rocked the field as a creature resembling a pterodactyl made of air appeared in play. "This monster is the key card to your defeat! I'm sure even a simpleton like you can figure this part out." He pointed at his field. "The elements of your doom are on the field."_

"_The elements of my doom?" Ichigo's eyes widened. "Hydrogen…Oxygen…"_

"_Water." Adriel held another card. "I play the magic card Bonding H2O! This card lets me send my Oxygedon and two Hydrogedon to the graveyard to special summon a monster made of the purest water!" The three creatures swirled together and formed a huge snake-like dragon made of pure water. "Water Dragon!" (2800/2600) Snarling, the dragon lowered its head to look at Ichigo. "Prepare for the end! Water Dragon, attack with Aqua Punisher!" The dragon released a blast of water that came bearing down on Ichigo's last remaining defense._

Ichigo's lips lifted slightly and he pointed at one of his set cards. "Go Shadow Optics! This trap lets me sacrifice one Cyber Shadow on my field to create a false version of one monster on my field until the end of the turn!" His Shield Bearer exploded into dust and was replaced by an exact copy of the Water Dragon. "Now I reveal the trap card Forged Bonds! This card activates when a non Cyber Shadow monster is my only monster in play. It becomes a Cyber Shadow until the end of the turn and gains a 1000 attack points bonus!" Snarling, the false Water Dragon turned pitch black. (3800/2600)

Adriel frowned. "I withdraw my attack and end my turn." The false Water Dragon disappeared. "You won't escape next time."

"I won't need to escape next time." Ichigo drew. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards!" Holding up one of the two new cards, he smirked. "Then I play the magic card Research on the Pot of Greed. It's an odd card, but I think in this situation it will work just fine. During a turn where Pot of Greed was played this card lets me draw two cards. Otherwise, I'd be able to only draw one." Sliding two more cards off of his deck, Ichigo placed one face-down on his disk and one into his disk. "I set a monster and a magic/trap card. Then I play the continuous magic card Mirage of Nightmare. End turn."

Adriel narrowed his eyes and drew. "It's my turn…"

Ichigo snapped four cards off of his deck. "Mirage of Nightmare lets me draw until I have four cards in my hand during your standby phase. Then I reveal my face-down Emergency Provisions! This magic card lets me sacrifice magic and trap cards to gain life points! So I'll send Mirage of Nightmare to the graveyard and gain 1000 life points!"

Ichigo- 2500

Adriel- 4000

Frowning, Adriel pointed at Ichigo. "You think I'll let you survive this turn? Wrong! I play the continuous magic card Dragon's Fangs! As long as this card is in play all monsters with dragon in their title gain 500 more attack points! Also, when they attack and destroy a monster you lose 300 life points! So now Water Dragon, Aqua Punisher!" The snake-like dragon roared and released a blast of water that slammed into the set card and blew it apart. "Now you lose 300 life points!"

Ichigo- 2200

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo caught a card that was spat out of his graveyard. "Cyber Shadow-Retriever lets me take back one Cyber Shadow monster from my graveyard when it is destroyed as a result of battle."

"I know the effect of your damned card!" Adriel pointed at Ichigo. "Now feel the wrath of my Luster Dragon!"

"Reverse card open! Negate Attack will stop the attack and end your battle phase!" Ichigo rubbed his index finger under his nose. "I'm not beaten that easily."

Adriel hissed in annoyance. "End turn!"

Ichigo removed two cards from his back pocket and held them up. "I think now is the time to take back the monsters that I removed with Hero's Return."

* * *

"Now he has seven cards in his hand. I'm guessing he's going to use a good number of them by the end of this turn though." Kenshin shrugged slightly and sat back against a nearby tree. "Not that it's a bad thing. If he can get the job done, then it's no big deal."

* * *

Ichigo looked at his seven cards and slid one into his disk. "It's time to bring out the big boys! Go Polymerization!" A pair of black-clothed forms appeared on his field. "I fuse Cyber Shadow-Assassin (1000/800) and Cyber Shadow-Soldier (1600/1600) together to create Special Operative-Snake!" (2000/1800) The bandana-wearing form of Ichigo's favorite monster appeared on the field. 

"Snake…" Adriel's eyes narrowed for a few moments, and then he snickered. "Water Dragon will enjoy destroying you."

Ichigo pointed at Luster Dragon. "Go Snake, attack that thing!" Nodding, the warrior leapt forwards and slammed its fist into the face of the monster, blowing it apart. "End turn."

Ichigo- 2200

Adriel- 3400

Adriel chuckled mirthlessly and drew. "You just sealed your fate fool! By sending another card to my graveyard you have now piled ten cards on top of Carbonedon. Do you know what happens when Carbonedon gets ten cards piled onto it?"

"It gets really cramped?" Ichigo asked jokingly.

"Actually, it gets removed from play and lets me special summon a mighty dragon made of the strongest gem in existence! Go Hyozanryu!" (2100/2800) A medium-sized dragon covered in diamond appeared on the field and roared at Ichigo and Snake. "Prepare for the end! Go Hyozanryu, Diamond Breath!" Opening its jaws, the dragon released a wave of glittering crystals that hurtled towards Snake.

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo pointed at one of his two set cards. "I activate the quickplay magic card Emergency Casting! This card requires that my opponent declares an attack on a monster on my field for it to activate. Now I can play one magic card from my hand immediately!"

"What magic card can you possibly play to make any kind of a difference in this duel?" Adriel pointed at Ichigo. "Give it up, you've got nothing."

"This doesn't look like nothing to me." Ichigo opened his field magic card slot. "It's time to reveal the field of a true spy! Activate Jungle Zone!" All around them huge trees sprang into existence. Insects chirped in the distance and Ichigo snickered calmly as the Diamond Breath blast slammed into Snake and blew the agent away instantly. "As long as this card is on the field, whenever I lose a Cyber Shadow as a result of battle all battle damage to me is zero for the rest of the turn. Meaning that I'll only lose 300 life points from losing Snake, and also I'll emerge from this battle phase without another scratch on me."

Ichigo- 1900

Adriel- 3400

Adriel snarled loudly and his eyes turned an even darker shade of red. "Then take your damned turn!"

Ichigo drew. "Here we go…it's time to even out the playing field! Go Fusion Return. This magic card lets me take one Polymerization from my graveyard and add it to my hand." He slid the card into his graveyard and picked up the magic card from the same slot on his disk.

"You plan on fusing your monsters again? How pointless…no two monsters, even when combined, can match my new power." Adriel waved his hand across his field. "With all of these mighty dragons on my field, there's no way you can hope to win!"

"Two monsters huh…" Ichigo pointed at his face-down card. "What about a fusion that can be formed through fusion? Go Re-Fusion! This equipment magic card costs 800 of my life points, but I can special summon a fusion monster from my graveyard! Snake returns!" In a flash of light a jungle-camouflage wearing version of Ichigo's favorite monster appeared on the field.

Ichigo- 1100

Adriel- 3400

"It's a waste! What can that useless monster do against me?"

"Useless?" Ichigo held up Polymerization and another card. "We'll see about that! Go Polymerization! I fuse Cyber Shadow-Blademaster (2000/1600) and Snake together to form Cyber Shadow-Lord of Knives!" (2800/2400) A black trench-coat wearing warrior appeared on his field. Opening its eyes, the warrior looked at the dragons and snickered calmly. _"Fools…"

* * *

_

Kenshin's eyes widened. "Wait a minute; he used that card against me! But when he did so it was a different combination he used to bring it out…"

* * *

Ichigo pointed at his new warrior. "Lord of Knives can be formed through the three-way fusion of Assassin, Soldier, and Blademaster. However, he also can be created through the fusing of fusions between these monsters. More or less….he's pretty flexible." 

"It doesn't matter; you can't defeat me that easily. Thanks to Dragon's Fangs Water Dragon has 3300 attack points, so your monster is outclassed." Adriel pointed at the Lord of Knives and laughed calmly.

Ichigo pointed at the Lord of Knives, who held up a group of knives pinched between his fingers. "When summoned, Lord of Knives destroys a magic or trap card on the field and a monster as well. So your Water Dragon really isn't a problem now! Knife Barrage!" The warrior snapped its arms out and both Water Dragon and Dragon's Fangs were torn to bits of paper.

Adriel growled in anger and pointed to his field. "When Water Dragon is destroyed two Hydrogedon and one Oxygedon are special summoned from my graveyard to the field in defense mode!" Two jets of brown water exploded out of the ground and quickly formed into a pair of lizard-like creatures in crouching positions. Next to them a swirl of aquamarine air quickly formed into a pterodactyl-like creature in a crouching position. (1600/1000) (1800/800)

Ichigo's eyes started to twitch. ("Damn it…he still has five monsters now!") "Lord of Knives, attack Hyozanryu!" The warrior flicked its wrists and a wave of knives slashed the dragon apart.

Ichigo- 1100

Adriel- 2700

Ichigo slid a card from his hand into his disk. "I'm not done yet Adriel! From my hand I play De-Fusion! This quickplay magic card will break Lord of Knives down into its three base components!" The warrior blew apart and Soldier, Assassin, and Blademaster appeared on Ichigo's field. "Assassin and Soldier attack Oxygedon and Hydrogedon now!" Both monsters leapt forward at once and punched the monsters, blowing them apart. "And finally, I attack Nexus Dragon with Blademaster!" The twin sword-wielding flipped forwards and slashed the finned dragon apart.

Ichigo- 1100

Adriel- 2200

"And one more thing." Ichigo placed a card onto his disk. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer (0/2400) in defense mode." A black-suited warrior holding a huge riot shield in front of it appeared in play. "End turn."

Adriel drew. "I'm impressed…barely. However…" He slid a card into his graveyard and another into his disk. "I activate the magic card Monster Reincarnation. This card lets me discard a card from my hand to pick up a monster from my graveyard."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes slowly…and then widened them as he saw one of Adriel's face-down cards flip up. "What's that?"

"It's a trap card called Dragon's Wing Blast. This card forces me to shuffle one card from my hand and one from my graveyard into my deck, but in return I can destroy magic or trap card on the field." The card released a burst of fire that consumed the Jungle Zone, leaving them both standing in the plain school courtyard again.

Ichigo gulped quietly. ("Now I just have a field full of targets…")

Adriel sneered and pointed at his remaining Hydrogedon, which stood up and roared. "Hydrogedon, Hydro Press!" The monster released a blast of brown water that blew Assassin apart.

Ichigo- 600

Adriel- 2200

"And when Hydrogedon destroys a monster as a result of battle I can special summon another from my deck. Since the graveyard card I returned to my deck through my trap card was that monster, let's bring it out!" A geyser exploded out of the ground and formed into another of the lizard-like creatures.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he realized what was going to happen. ("He's going to revive that Water Dragon…")

Adriel slid another card into his disk. "Also, I play the equipment magic card Premature Burial. At the cost of 800 life points I will return Oxygedon (1800/800) to the field!" The pterodactyl reformed in play. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn now."

Ichigo- 600

Adriel- 2200

Ichigo drew. "I won't let you recreate that dragon! Go Blademaster, destroy Oxygedon!" The warrior started its charge, and then lowered its weapon and returned to Ichigo's field. "What happened?"

"You triggered my trap card. It's called Dragon's Hoard. This card first requires that I sacrifice a monster on my field." His Oxygedon disappeared. "Then I may take back a magic card from my graveyard." Removing a card from his graveyard, Adriel also took his other hand card and discarded it. "Finally my other face-down card will be revealed. It's called Revival Pearl. By discarding a magic card from my hand I can return a monster from my graveyard to the field." A glowing green pearl appeared on his field and shimmered. Then his Oxygedon reappeared. "And thanks to Dragon's Hoard, you can't attack during this turn."

Ichigo frowned and pointed to his monsters. "I switch everyone into defense mode. End turn." All of his monsters fell to their knees and braced themselves for what they knew was coming.

Adriel calmly smiled, his eyes glowing steel-grey. "For the next three turns I cannot draw cards thanks to Dragon's Hoard…but I don't need to." He held up the single card in his hand. "Go Bonding H2O!" His three monsters were pulled together and formed into the snake-like form of his Water Dragon. (2800/2600) "Now Water Dragon, Aqua Punisher!" The dragon roared and dropped a waterfall of water against the Shield Bearer, blowing it apart. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. "End turn."

Adriel pointed at Blademaster. "Next up!" Water Dragon brought its head down and bit the warrior in half. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. "End turn."

Adriel pointed at Soldier. "The final barricade!" Water Dragon wrapped its coils around the body of the warrior and squeezed tightly, shattering Soldier instantly. "End turn."

* * *

Eri frowned and looked back at Hitokage. "What's the matter with Adriel? Why is he acting so strangely?" 

"He's found some kind of power…though I'm unsure of the source." The blond-haired boy rubbed his chin. "It seems natural…just overly powerful."

"I'm more worried about what Ichigo is going to do now. He's not exactly in the best position at this point." Kenshin opened his eyes slightly so that he could watch the duel. He could hear what was going on far too well, but this he wanted to see with his eyes. ("Ichigo…show him your power.")

* * *

Ichigo drew. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Shifter (800/1200) in attack mode!" A black-clothed ninja appeared on his field. "Then I equip it with the equipment magic card Shifting Daggers!" A pair of daggers built to offer more protection than offensive power appeared in the hands of the ninja. "This card can only given to Shifter, and only while it is in attack mode. It now gains 500 attack points." (1300/1200) "End turn." 

Adriel drew. "Get ready…because here I come! First I summon Masked Dragon!" (1400/1100) A red and white scaled dragon appeared on his field. "Now blast Shifter away!" Opening its mouth, the dragon released a fireball that rocketed towards Ichigo's monster.

With lightning speed Shifter snapped its daggers up, blocking the attack with the blade. Each weapon shuddered and blew into dust, while Shifter fell to one knee.

Ichigo pointed at his monster. "When my monster would be destroyed Shifting Daggers are destroyed instead. Also, my monster goes into defense mode."

"Damn it…" Adriel pointed at Shifter. "Water Dragon, Aqua Punisher!" The dragon released another pillar of water that drowned the warrior. "End turn!"

Ichigo looked down at his deck. "Why are you doing this? And more importantly, where did you get so much power from so quickly?"

Adriel sneered and thumbed at himself. "Allow me to explain. Thanks to the help of a nice man I met a short while ago I managed to unleash my true powers as a dragon demon. Now I'll crush you with my true strength and reclaim my honor."

"We'll see about that." Ichigo drew. "Then again…we'll see about that right now! First I play The Warrior Returning Alive! This magic card lets me take back one warrior monster." Catching a card spat out of his graveyard, Ichigo slapped it down. "Cyber Shadow-Shifter in attack mode!" The ninja reappeared on his field. "Then the magic card Shadow Shift! When played, this card will force all attack mode monsters into defense mode."

All three of the monsters on the field slid into crouching positions. "As an added bonus, I may sacrifice Shifter to summon a different Cyber Shadow from my deck! Emerge now, my mighty Cyber Shadow-King of Swords!" (2600/2300) The ninja vanished. In its place stood a lone figure with a pair of blades attached to its forearms. Opening its eyes, it looked at the Water Dragon appraisingly. _"Perhaps you can offer me a challenge…"_

Adriel snickered calmly. "Our monsters have the same point totals. And don't bother trying to attack Masked Dragon, because I activate the last effect of Dragon's Hoard. When I have lasted out the three turn draw lock-out, I can decide what monster on my field you will be attacking for the rest of the duel."

Ichigo looked at the last card in his hand. "Adriel…you're good. Much better than they'd ever like to admit. However…" He opened his field magic card slot. "I'm not to be toyed with! Activate Cyber Battlefield!" All around them the landscape faded and was replaced by a simple green grid. "In this place, Cyber Shadows gain the training necessary to defeat whatever monster confronts them. So now I declare Dragon!"

A targeting reticule fell over the Water Dragon, lighting up numerous weak points along its body. "During this turn, whenever a Cyber Shadow battles against a monster with Dragon in its title, my monster will gain a 500 attack point bonus!" (3100/2300) "King of Swords!" The warrior shimmered out of existence and then reappeared moments later back in the same spot. _"Too easy."_

Howling in pain, the Water Dragon exploded into dust.

"And when King of Swords fight a monster in defense mode, it still deals damage!" Ichigo pointed at Adriel. "So have a taste of 500 life point damage!"

Ichigo- 600

Adriel- 1700

Adriel pointed at his field, where a trio of watery forms appeared. "As you should remember, when Water Dragon is destroyed my Oxygedon and two Hydrogedons are returned to the field in defense mode."

Ichigo nodded slightly. "End turn for now."

Adriel drew, looked at the drawn card…and started to laugh. "You…you're finished!" He pointed to all four of his monsters. "These creatures are stronger…but useless against your King of Swords. But any King should also have a Queen, no?" The four monster disappeared. "I sacrifice four monsters to normal summon Tiamat; Queen of Dragons!"

The monster that appeared on his field was a five-headed dragon of enormous size. Each of the heads were a different color, and all of them roared at King of Swords. (5000/5000) "When this monster would be destroyed, it instead loses 1000 attack points. Also when summoned, the Queen of Dragons brings out two level seven or higher dragons from my deck to the field!" A huge red-scaled dragon and a golden dragon appeared on both sides of the Queen. "I special summon Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500) and Grand Emperor Dragon (2000/2500) to the field!" Both dragons roared and looked down at Ichigo. "This is your end Pilkington. Five Star Doom!" Tiamat's jaws opened and all of them released a different element of energy that hurtled towards Ichigo's last chance.

"Cyber Battlefield special ability number two!" Ichigo opened his field magic card slot and removed the card. "I may send this card to the graveyard at any time to replay a field magic card in my graveyard! Go Jungle Zone!" The field changed into the treetop area right before the five blasts slammed into the King of Swords and blew it away. "So for this turn I'm safe."

Adriel closed his eyes and smirked coldly. "You won't escape…because you have no cards left in your deck capable of helping you win. End turn."

Ichigo looked down at his deck and smiled weakly. ("Could I actually lose this? Adriel has gotten so much more powerful…even stronger than I am.") Then he looked over at the side of the field…and saw Eri. ("Well that fixes that. I can't lose in front of her, because she'll never let me live it down.") "Sorry Adriel…but I won't lose."

"Then draw your card." The half-dragon demon pointed at Ichigo. "Bring out you best."

"You want my best?" Ichigo drew and placed the card onto his disk. "I special summon Steel Titan-Crane!" (2000/2500) A screech shook across the sky. "When I want to summon this monster without making any sacrifices, I must draw the top five cards off of my deck. For every monster I take 1000 life points of damage!" Snapping the top five cards off of his deck, Ichigo showed them to his opponent. "And I'm in the clear." He discarded the drawn cards, while the screeching got louder.

The green-metal form that floated down to the field had a body built for flight, with jets rimming along its bird-like wings and jets built into its lower body so it could get into the air. Opening its steel jaws, the machine monster screeched one more time at the three dragons.

"A Steel Titan…" Adriel frowned. "So this is your true power…"

"I have no true power…" Ichigo pointed at his opponent. "I don't believe that you have to be powerful to be the best. You simply have to have the necessary skills, as well as a hope in your heart that everything will always come out on top if you are a hero!" Crane's jets activated and it launched into the air, quickly disappearing into the sky. "When this card is summoned successfully, its special ability activates! Now all monsters in play will lose 2000 attack points!" Bombs rained down from the sky and slammed into the collected dragons. The Grand Emperor Dragon was immediately blown apart, while the Tyrant Dragon was left stumbling and Tiamat seemed nearly unaffected. (900/2500) (3000/5000)

"Was that it?" Adriel threw back his head and laughed. "That means I've won!"

"Wrong!" Ichigo drew a single card. "When Crane activates its entrance effect I draw one card." Glancing at it, Ichigo slid it into his disk. "Steel Defense Barrier! During this turn life point damage to me is zero as long as I have a machine in play! Then I activate Crane's second effect! By drawing five more cards, I can destroy a monster on the field for every monster amongst those cards. However, like its summoning effect I'll take 1000 life point damage for every monster as well!" Snapping five cards off of his deck, he snapped them around. "Three monsters!" Three bombs fell from the sky and slammed into Tiamat. (3000-2000-1000-0/3000) (Destroyed)

Letting out a trio of screams, the dragon Queen blew apart.

Adriel hissed in anger. "I still will survive until the next turn! Also, when Tiamat is destroyed the monsters sacrificed to summon it are returned!" Four monsters in crouching positions filled up his field.

Ichigo pointed up into the sky. "The last special ability…one final suicidal attack. During this turn, if Crane is my only field monster, I may increase its attack points by 1000 and let it attack all monsters on the field, though it will be destroyed at the end of the battle phase!" A single glowing meteor could be seen in the sky. That meteor was Crane, preparing for its final attack. (3000/2500) "Suicide Strike!" The meteor hit the ground and every monster on Adriel's field was instantly consumed in flames.

Ichigo- 600

Adriel- 0

* * *

A short distance away from the explosion that shook the whole island, a single ice-blue stone slid through a crack in the ground that was cause by that explosion and disappeared. It fell for an immeasurable amount of time, and then finally landed within an empty cave. Moments later light flooded out of the damaged stone. _("I am awake…and I wait for an owner…")

* * *

_

Adriel pounded his fists into the ground. He still felt his awakened powers…but now he didn't feel invincible. ("To think I gained the strength my father possessed…and yet I still lost!") Closing his eyes, he prepared to be mocked and ridiculed.

"Hey Adriel, that was a great game." Ichigo offered his hand to the Obelisk Blue student. "You nearly had me there. It all came down to luck on my part."

Adriel stared at Ichigo for a few moments, and then took his hand. "You mean…you're not going to mock me?"

"Why should I? You put up a great fight." Ichigo flashed the victory sign. "One wrong move on my part and I would have lost that duel. It was so close."

Adriel stood silent…and then smiled. "Perhaps next time then?"

"Perhaps." Ichigo turned and gave a thumbs-up to Griff and Krieger.

_To be continued…_

(Jeez, I haven't done one of these in a while) Next Episode: The top duelists meet in battle, Hitokage vs. Kenshin (Who do you think is going to win?)

To Gryphinwyrm: They seem to do that a lot, don't they?

To Seeker of the Soul: Daichi isn't that much of a geek…at least I think so. As for what I'm up to….well, you'll see.

To Seth Vindicare: Thank you very much. When are you going to post the next chapter of your story?

To Bobbomp: ……………………………………………….You certainly have an interesting imagination…….I guess….

To Anime Albino: Any particular reason that you don't like Daniel?

To whitwolf: Actually, the reason Rykiel wants to lose isn't because he is bored of the game, but because he is bored of the competition. Or the lack thereof.

To Hogwarts-Knight: I did nothing to Adriel. He just finally found the power that is like his father's. As for Water Dragon, it and its pieces are property of Duel Monsters GX.

To G.O.T. Nick: Yeah, it is kinda like that actually. Of course that was so long ago….but then again, history is supposed to repeat itself.

To Nanashi Minimino: Yes there is. Like Cyber Shadows there are only one set of Divine Agents.

To Adriel: Hey now, think about this…he challenged Ichigo and nearly crushed him. I mean, he's gained the power to match somebody who has defeated duelists supposedly many times greater than he is. More or less, Adriel emerged from this duel better than before.

To Rex: I'd answer your question…but that would be rather stupid.


	23. The top duelists meet in battle

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 23: The top duelists meet in battle, Hitokage vs. Kenshin

Midas King felt like dancing today. Because today was the day that the Obelisk Blue tournament would be happening. ("That means that I don't have to worry about Ichigo Pilkington winning this time! He won't even be in the competition!")

Ichigo felt like crying. "Another chance to showcase my awesome skills and I can't because of some stupid rule about this tournament being only for Obelisk Blue students."

"Shut up and come on." Eri grabbed Ichigo by the collar and dragged him into the arena. From what she heard the duels had already begun and they were missing the action.

Griff, Sammy, and Ashley sighed and followed the two.

* * *

"Soul Reaver Dragon! Soul Burst!" A huge phantasmal dragon released a blast of white energy that slammed into another monster and blew it apart. (3500/0) "And that leaves your life points at zero."

Hitokage's opponent fell to his knees and collapsed into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Black Luster Soldier, Ultimate Double Slash!" A blue-armored leapt forwards and slashed both monsters of Kenshin's opponent's apart. "And that's the game."

"Go Kenshin-baby!" Ebony whistled and cheered from her spot up in the stands alongside Eri, Ichigo, Sammy, Ashley and Griff.

Kenshin threw a thumbs-up to Ichigo and walked off the field. ("Looks like the only challenge today will be Seijitsu. I wonder if he'll be able to beat me…")

* * *

"Where am I?" Krieger screamed for the nearly fiftieth time today. After taking one wrong turn he was suddenly unable to find the arena where the tournament was being held. "ARGH!"

Not too far away, another person was feeling just as lost. ("Now where did CJ go?")

* * *

Daniel turned in his chair and watched his door open slowly. "Yes?"

"Just thought I'd I say hi to an old friend." CJ grinned and pushed the door all the way open. "After all, I've got some things to explain to you."

* * *

(Note to the readers: Please forgive the multiple changes of perspective, but it is necessary to set up the next few chapters)

* * *

Midas King strolled onto the arena floor and lifted his microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce the two finalists of the Obelisk Blue Duel King tournament! In this corner, Hitokage Seijitsu and his Soul Reaver deck!" His hand pointed at Kenshin. "And in this corner, the mighty Crusader Kenshin Anderson. Is there anything you boys would like to say before we begin?"

Hitokage's jade eyes met Kenshin's brown ones and they both clashed instantly. It was as if they were already battling in their minds with their opponent.

"I'll take that as a no. Duel start!" Midas hopped off of the arena floor right as both duelists drew their opening hands.

Kenshin- 4000

Hitokage- 4000

"You may go first." Hitokage closed his eyes and steeled his resolve. This was going to take his all to win this duel.

Kenshin drew. "Alright then. I will set one card face-down and summon Dark Blade (1800/1500) in attack mode." A black-armored warrior holding a pair of short curved scimitars appeared on the field. "End turn."

Hitokage drew. "I summon Soul Tower (0/1400) in defense mode." A glowing pile of bones appeared on the field. "When this monster is summoned I may summon another monster with Soul in its title to the field. So I summon Soul Viewer in defense mode." (0/1400) A strange statue made of bone appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Then I play Mystical Space Typhoon on your set card." A burst of wind shattered Kenshin's set card immediately. "And after setting one card face-down on the field I end my turn."

Kenshin drew. ("He's sharp…but I still will have to show him that they call me the Crusader for more reasons than just my monster choices.") "Dark Blade, attack his Soul Viewer now!" The warrior leapt forward and slashed the bone statue apart.

Hitokage picked up the card and slid it into his graveyard. "When destroyed, this monster lets me look at the top two cards of my deck and summon any monsters amongst them to my field." Sliding two cards off of his deck, the blond-haired boy placed them down. "You have brought out my Soul Warden (1800/1500) in attack mode and my Soul Caller (1200/1000) in defense mode." A skeletal ghost appeared on the field and moaned loudly. Next to it a pale man in bone armor appeared on the field in a crouching position. "When Soul Caller is summoned the top card of my deck is sent to my graveyard."

Kenshin grimaced. "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Hitokage drew. ("Soon my strategy will be complete…but first I must make some preparations.") "I switch Soul Caller into attack mode." The man stood up. "Soul Caller, attack the defense mode monster now!" The spellcaster released a ball of white ectoplasm that hit the face-down card and blew it away. "And Soul Warden, attack Dark Blade!"

Kenshin pointed at the rapidly approaching Soul Warden. "Go Dark Blade!" The warrior dove into the ghost and both blew apart.

"Soul Warden, when destroyed, lets me discard a monster to draw a card." Hitokage slid a card from his hand into his graveyard and drew one card. "End turn."

Kenshin drew. ("What's he doing? It's like he is purposely trying to get rid of his cards.") A few moments later he realized what was going on. ("That tower…it must be part of this plan.") "From my hand I play the equipment magic card Blessings of the Warrior God. By discarding one card from my hand I can revive one level four warrior from my graveyard! Return Dark Blade!" The black-armored returned to the field. "Go and crush the Soul Tower now!"

Hitokage pointed at Soul Caller. "As long as I have other Soul monsters on the field, you cannot attack my Soul Tower." The spellcaster snickered calmly as he was cut in half by the blades of the warrior.

Kenshin- 4000

Hitokage- 3400

"And when Soul Caller is destroyed as a result of battle, I take the bottom card of my graveyard and shuffle it into my deck." Hitokage caught a card that was spat out of his graveyard slot and inserted it into his deck.

Kenshin growled. "End turn."

Hitokage drew. ("And so it begins to approach.") He looked at the Soul Tower, and near the top rested ten human skulls lined up in a ring. Six of the skulls had blue flames burning within them. "From my hand I play the continuous magic card Soul Reaver."

* * *

"Soul Reaver…" Ichigo frowned and rubbed his hands together nervously. "That magic card lets him destroy one monster on his opponent's field and then each standby phase he'll gain life points equal to that monster's attack points. Plus he can sacrifice the card to deal double the damage of the creature to his opponent."

Eri crossed her legs slowly. "Honestly…I wonder where such powerful cards had come from."

* * *

Hitokage slid a card from his hand into his graveyard slot. "I discard a monster called Soul Charger (0/0) into my graveyard to power Soul Reaver. Because I did this, Soul Reaver will now give me direct control of your creature." Dark Blade turned around and slammed its blades down onto Kenshin's shoulders. "I set one card face-down and end my turn." The black-armored warrior now stood on Hitokage's field, with blue flames lining its form.

Kenshin- 2200

Hitokage- 3400

Kenshin drew. "I play the magic card Offerings to the Healing Goddess. By sending one magic or trap card on my field to the graveyard I can regain 2000 life points." His Blessings of the Warrior God disappeared. "And because my magic card left, your new monster disappears."

Kenshin- 4200

Hitokage- 3400

With a smirk, Kenshin placed a card onto his disk. "I summon Shield Knight (400/2100) in defense mode." An armored man appeared on his field in a crouching position. "End turn."

Hitokage drew, glancing at the now eight flaming skulls on top of his tower. "I play Monster Reincarnation. By discarding one card from my hand, I take back my Soul Caller from the graveyard. Then I summon it defense mode." The spellcaster appeared on the field in a crouching position. Taking the top card of his deck, he slid it into his graveyard. On his field the ninth skull atop his tower lit up with blue flame. "End turn."

Kenshin drew. "I set one card face-down and summon Magic Revival Angel in attack mode!" (1500/0) A robed angel appeared on his field. "When summoned I must send one card on my field to the graveyard. If I do so I can pick up one magic card from my graveyard." Removing a card from his graveyard, he slid it into his disk with a calm smile on his face. "Finally, I'll replay Blessings of the Warrior God to return my Dark Blade. This time, your tower will fall."

"Oh really?" Hitokage pointed at his set card. "Actually…you just sealed your own fate. Go Grave Seal!" A glowing skull appeared over both players' graveyard slots. "This trap card activates when you target a monster in the graveyard with a magic card. Now neither of us can remove any cards from our graveyard."

Kenshin growled lower and pointed at the Soul Caller. "Go Angel!" The woman spoke in a calm voice and a wave of power hit the Soul Caller, blowing it apart.

Hitokage slid the card into his graveyard and pointed at the ten lit up skulls on his Soul Tower. "Awaken, Soul Obelisk!" The tower of bone disappeared and was replaced by a huge black stone tower that was at least the double the size of what the Soul Tower was. (0/3000) "As long as this card is in play, I gain 500 life points every standby phase for each monster in my graveyard." Up on top of the tower rested twenty torches, and ten of them were lit.

Kenshin looked up at the tower and sighed. "End turn."

Hitokage drew. "And so I gain life points." A scream echoed from the tower and energy flowed down into Hitokage's body from the structure. "However, as long as Soul Obelisk is in play I cannot normal summon other monsters. So I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Kenshin- 4200

Hitokage- 8400

Kenshin drew. ("With that Obelisk in play he gains 5000 life points per turn as long as we both have monsters in our graveyard.") "From my hand I play Mystical Space Typhoon. Now one magic or trap card on your field will be shattered!" A blast of wind blew one of the set cards apart. "End turn."

Hitokage drew. "For now I end my turn." The Obelisk screamed loudly and more energy flowed into his disk.

Kenshin- 4200

Hitokage- 13400

Kenshin drew, his eyes twitching slightly. ("How am I supposed to defeat this kind of strategy?") Frowning at the drawn card, he slid it into his disk. "I set this card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Hitokage drew. From his field the Obelisk screamed again and more power flowed into his disk. "End turn."

Kenshin- 4200

Hitokage- 18400

Kenshin drew. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode and end my turn." A black and silver armored knight appeared on his field. Looking down at his graveyard slot, the half dog demon growled at the skull that was embedded in it. ("I can't access my graveyard…")

Hitokage drew, his voice ringing out over the ever-increasing screams of the tower. "I play Soul Reaver and discard another Soul Charger to control Gearfried." The armored warrior groaned and floated over to his field, white ectoplasm flowing off of its body. "Go Gearfried, attack the angel." Howling a challenge, the warrior leapt and brought its sword slashing through the body of Kenshin's monster.

Kenshin- 3900

Hitokage- 23400

"I'm not done yet though." Hitokage slid the last card in his hand into his disk. "I play the magic card Morph Self. This card sacrifices one monster on my field to let me summon another creature of the same level from my deck." Gearfried screamed in pain and its armor fell away to reveal a pale-skinned woman in very thin and fairly revealing clothing. "Soul Temptress (1500/1500) in attack mode. End turn."

Kenshin's eyes widened at the new monster. ("What…") He drew, glanced at the drawn card, and threw it down. "Go Lightning Knight (1900/1000) in attack mode!" A steel-armored warrior holding a pair of crackling swords appeared on his field. "Go now and attack the Temptress!"

"Soul Temptress has a special ability you just activated." Hitokage pointed to the Shield Knight, who stood up and walked over to stand in front of the woman. "When attacked, she forces one defense mode monster on your field into attack mode and orders it to defend her." The Lightning Knight leapt forwards and slashed the other knight apart. "As such, you not only take the battle damage from the fight, but because of your monster's special ability you take 100 life points of damage for each level star of the destroyed monster."

Lightning Knight turned on one heel and brought both of its swords down onto Kenshin's shoulders, driving him to one knee.

Kenshin- 2000

Hitokage- 23400

Kenshin groaned in pain, stumbling as acrid smoke rose off of his clothing. "End turn…"

Hitokage drew and the tower screamed again. "Again I gain life points. This time, because there are fourteen monsters in the graveyard, it will be 7000. And then I activate the effect of Soul Temptress!" The woman tilted her head back and began to let out the most melodic tune. "By discarding one fiend or spellcaster from my hand I can switch her into defense mode and destroy one monster in play. Therefore, your monster is gone." Lightning Knight shuddered and blew apart.

Kenshin- 2000

Hitokage- 30400

* * *

Ichigo felt someone tug on his shirt collar and pull him back into his seat. "What?"

"You were about to lean right into the next row of seats," Eri said calmly. "What's the matter with you?"

"Sorry, that was really nice song." Grinning, Ichigo returned his eyes to the duel.

"Idiot…" Eri returned to the duel as well.

* * *

Kenshin drew. "I play Swords of Revealing Light!" Glowing green swords of light dropped down onto the field. "End turn."

Hitokage drew. "Sixteen monsters in my graveyard equal 8000 life points." The Obelisk howled once more and energy flowed into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Kenshin- 2000

Hitokage- 38400

Kenshin drew. ("Damn it!") "End turn."

Hitokage drew. "Now I gain another 8000. End turn."

Kenshin- 2000

Hitokage- 46400

Kenshin drew. ("How am I supposed to stop this if I can't access my graveyard?") "I end my turn."

Hitokage drew. "And again my mighty Obelisk gives me 8000 life points. I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Kenshin- 2000

Hitokage- 54400

* * *

Krieger scratched the back of his head and looked around his surroundings. "At what point did I wind up underground?" The cave he was in stood out because its structure was like that of an arena, with a pool of water ringing it on all sides.

"_Greetings boy…"_ A calm voice rang out, sounding like a waterfall emptying its contents into a pool.

"Err….hi." Krieger looked around in confusion, trying to find the owner of the voice.

"_Do not worry…I only wish to play a little game."_ The water of the pool parted to reveal a female form made entirely of water. _"My name is Undine…and you are one of the Seal Holders. The Seal you hold though is of fire…an element ruled by my brother Salamander."_

Krieger was having trouble accepting the fact that he was talking to water, so the words Undine said didn't exactly register to him immediately. "……."

"_Prepare yourself. I will not give my power to one who is unworthy!"_ Undine waved her hand and stepped onto the stone platform. Behind her, five huge cards lifted out of the pool, apparently unaffected by the water.

Krieger frowned and clicked his disk into place. "Fine….let's go."

_("I am with you, partner.")_ Horus echoed within his head.

_To be continued…_

To Seth: Well please hurry that along. I like your story very much. As for Lithmus (Daichi's monster) it isn't really a dragon so I didn't run it in Adriel's deck.

To Bobbomp: It's my gift and a curse at the same time.

To Anime Albino: Nobody messes with Daniel's hair. As for Ichigo, his hair is short.

To Adriel: All shall be explained soon…

To wolfy: Once again, I'll send the stories once I am done with them all and after I've revised them. The same with the cards.

To Seeker of the Soul: I personally think Math Magician is ridiculously funny. Plus the more I think about its effect the more I see, geeky or not, that it is a really good card.

To Hogwarts-Knight: Ever had your soul sucked out through a straw?

To G.O.T. Nick: Ichigo played that Steel Barrier magic card, which made all damage to him zero during the turn it, is played if he has a machine in play. The damage from Crane's effect was simply negated.

To Rex: Well, I leave it to the audience to think about who will win up to this point.

To Dragon King: There is only one king of dragons, and its name is Bahamut. And I sleep at night on a nice comfy pillow with a pair of blankets, thank you very much.

To Justin: I will not copy any cards from Magic: The Gathering. Its one thing to make a theme based off of something, but that is unoriginal. Also, I don't use reviewer submitted cards for my original characters, though cards for a reviewer submitted character are fine.


	24. A memory?

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist- Chaos Arc

Chapter 24: A memory?

"My lord, it's time to wake up."

Ichigo's eyes slowly opened and he groaned, throwing up a hand to block out the sunlight that was flooding his room. ("Wait a minute…") Lifting his head up, he blinked at the sight of a woman in a really conservative dress. On top of her head rested a pair of pointy ears that Ichigo instinctively recognized as a wolf's. "Who are you?"

The woman blinked a few times and giggled. "I'm surprised you would ask me that, my lord. I am Alahandra." She curtsied. "Your father wanted to speak to you before you went out this morning for your training."

Ichigo nodded slowly, deciding that if this was a dream he may as well go with it. "Okay…where's my father?"

Alahandra blinked again and then pointed out the door of the room. "Just down the hall is the royal chamber."

* * *

_

* * *

Hitokage drew. "Sixteen monsters in my graveyard equal 8000 life points." The Obelisk howled once more and energy flowed into his disk. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn." _

_Kenshin- 2000_

_Hitokage- 38400_

_Kenshin drew. ("Damn it!") "End turn."_

_Hitokage drew. "Now I gain another 8000. End turn."_

_Kenshin- 2000_

_Hitokage- 46400_

_Kenshin drew. ("How am I supposed to stop this if I can't access my graveyard?") "I end my turn."_

_Hitokage drew. "And again my mighty Obelisk gives me 8000 life points. I set one card face-down and end my turn."_

_Kenshin- 2000_

_Hitokage- 54400_

Kenshin drew. "I set one card face-down and end my turn." The Swords of Revealing Light faded away.

Hitokage drew. "I end my turn."

Kenshin- 2000

Hitokage- 62400

Kenshin closed his eyes and growled louder than before. ("What am I supposed to do to stop this?") He drew. "From my hand I play the magic card Angel's Sacrifice! During this turn I may sacrifice magic or trap cards instead of monsters! So I sacrifice my face-down Premature Burial and bring out the best chance to win this duel! Go Silver Knight of Purity!" (2300/1700) A silver-armored knight appeared on his field and lifted its sword.

"Silver Knight of Purity." Hitokage frowned. "It's no match for my Obelisk."

"It doesn't have to be. End turn." Kenshin lifted his hand and pointed at Hitokage. "Seijitsu…I'm tired of playing by these rules. Show me your best!"

Hitokage narrowed his eyes for a few moments…and then smiled slightly. "Very well…draw!" Snapping the top card off of his disk, the blond-haired boy pointed at his screaming tower. "And once more the Soul Obelisk raises my life points by 8000!"

Kenshin- 2000

Hitokage- 70400

Hitokage pointed at one of his face-down cards as it flipped up. "And now I activate the trap card Hand Oblivion. When played, this trap forces us both to discard our hands. Then we both discard cards from our deck equal to the number of cards we had in our hands before its activation."

Both duelists complied…

Another torch on top of the Obelisk lit up. "Then I reveal my next trap card! Go Continuous Destruction! When activated this card remains in play until the end of the turn. Now both of us sacrifice magic and trap cards on our field until there is nothing left." He sent both Continuous Destruction and his set card to the graveyard, while Kenshin discarded his single card. "Since I had two cards and you had one, you must now discard the top five cards off of your deck."

Gritting his teeth tightly, Kenshin did so….and the last three torches on top of the Obelisk lit up with blue flame.

"Now is the time," Hitokage pointed at his Obelisk, which was shuddering rapidly. "When there are twenty monsters in the graveyard, my monster's effect activates. First I pay 60000 life points to activate this effect."

Kenshin- 2000

Hitokage- 10400

"Then we both shuffle our graveyards, fields, and hands together into our decks and draw five cards." Hitokage did so, except that he removed one card from his deck and held it aside until his deck was back in place. "When we do this, I play this field magic card that can only be activated from my deck when the field is reset due to the effect of Soul Obelisk." He pointed at Kenshin. "Your end draws near, Crusader. I play the field magic card Tower to the Demon Realm!" All around them the field warped and twisted into an empty stone area. Above them were huge bells made out of stone statues of chained angels. "In this place, once per turn I can special summon a demon from my deck. The only requirement is that it must be level four or lower."

Kenshin realized that he was in danger. ("I have no field…and he hasn't attacked.")

Hitokage saw the worry on the half-demon's face. "During the turn that my Tower is brought out, I cannot attack. So now I special summon Hell: Envy (1200/1000) to the field in defense mode." A blob of green liquid formed on his field and then transformed into a sickly monster holding a scythe. "Also, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"A Hell?" Kenshin drew. "What kind of monster is that? Then again…I don't care! Go Gearfried the Iron Knight!" (1800/1600) A black and silver knight in body-encasing metal armor appeared on his field. "Attack the Hell now!" It leapt forwards and slashed the monster, only to be rewarded with a body suddenly covered in the same green slime that had formed the demon.

"When destroyed Hell Envy equips to the destroying monster and drains it of 1000 attack points." Hitokage frowned as the slime slid off of Gearfried's armor. "However, your monster's effect negates this."

"Right." Kenshin tapped the side of his temple. "You're in my game now. And here, we fight with honor. So I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Hitokage drew. "You have an awfully high opinion of your skills, considering that my life points are five times that of your total." He slid a card into his disk. "I play Soul Exchange. Now I sacrifice Gearfried to summon a monster from my deck through the effect of my Tower. Since that monster is being sacrificed, I may summon a higher level beast. Go Hell Vanguard!" A towering decrepit monster in black robes appeared on the field. "This monster may attack your life points by cutting its attack in half for the turn. Since I cannot attack due to Soul Exchange, I end my turn." (2200/1200)

Kenshin drew. "Hitokage Seijitsu…you are very good. But I will not allow this to continue. During this turn, you fall."

* * *

Ichigo rubbed his eyes with a hand. ("Any time now….just wake up….please?") Opening his eyes, he still found himself sitting in a strange throne room. ("Why am I having this weird dream?") 

"Is something the matter prince Eristo?" An older wolf demon wearing the clothing of a royal advisor asked calmly.

"I'm fine. I just don't feel like this is where I belong," Ichigo muttered reluctantly. This place…he didn't know why he was here, but he knew immediately that this wasn't where he was supposed to be.

"I completely understand. You wish to be out with your father while he is adventuring, correct?"

"My father?" Ichigo turned to look at the advisor. "What does he have to…" Biting his tongue, he nodded slightly. "Yeah, that has to be it. I guess I'm just not used to palace life."

"You never were, even as a boy." The advisor chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't let it get to you. As soon as he returns you'll be free from your duties and then you can go back to doing what you do so well." Still chuckling, the old demon walked off.

("Why am I here?") Ichigo put his head in his hands and sighed. ("I suppose I'll find out soon enough.")

* * *

"I fall hmmm?" Hitokage raised an eyebrow. "I think you're just blowing smoke…" 

"I am blowing smoke…and fire." Kenshin snapped a card from his hand over. "First Pot of Greed!" He drew two cards. "Then from my hand the magic card Monster Reborn! Return Gearfried!" The iron knight reappeared. "Reverse card open! Dust Tornado will destroy your leftmost set card!" A blast of wind shattered the card.

"Impressive so far, but you destroyed my bluff." Hitokage blinked as Kenshin started laughing.

"Sorry, but I didn't care what card I destroyed. Second reverse card activate now!" Kenshin's other face-down card flipped up. "Double Break activates when a magic or trap card is destroyed. Now two more cards will be destroyed!" The Tower whined in protest and crumbled around them, while Hitokage's other face-down card shattered.

"My Tower will return during my standby phase…and when it does you will lose 1000 life points. That is its true power. It cannot die and will hurt you whenever it goes to my graveyard through any means." Hitokage pointed at Kenshin. "You lose."

"Wrong." Kenshin held up another card. "Remove Restraints activate! This magic card lets me sacrifice Gearfried to summon Gearfried the Sword Master!" The knight's armor shattered and was replaced by a huge man with long black hair. (2600/2200) "This monster will be your defeat."

"I highly doubt it. By discarding one card from my hand I can return my tower right now." Hitokage discarded one card from his hand and all around them the tower setting appeared once more. "So you take 1000 damage."

Kenshin- 1000

Hitokage- 10400

"It doesn't matter!" Kenshin held up his last hand card. "Activate Knight's Driving Force! This magic card works only when a level seven or higher warrior is in play. I draw two cards." Sliding two cards off of his deck, Kenshin pointed at the Hell Vanguard. "It's time to bring this duel to a close, one way or another!"

("When he destroys Hell Vanguard as a result of battle he'll trigger its second ability. Then I'll destroy all magic and trap cards in play. After that I simply will return my Tower and his life points will be gone.") Hitokage motioned for Kenshin to come and attack.

"Equipment magic card activate! Training Session! This card cuts the attack power of the monster it is equipped to in half. When this monster deals battle damage I may look at the top ten cards of my deck and place all monster cards on the top." (1300/2200) Gearfried lifted its sword and pointed the simple blade at the Hell Vanguard. "Gearfried's special ability activates now! When this card is equipped with an equip card, it destroys one monster in play!" The reaper howled and faded away.

Hitokage looked displeased but not worried. "I'll survive…"

"We'll see. Gearfried, direct attack!" The warrior leapt forwards and slashed its sword through the blond-haired boy's chest.

Kenshin- 1000

Hitokage- 9100

Pulling the top ten cards off of his deck, Kenshin rearranged them and put the stack back in place. "Alright, the effect of Training Session is done."

Hitokage's hand came up to draw. "Then it's my turn."

Kenshin held up the last card in his hand. "Actually…."

Ebony's eyes widened at the sight of the card. "It's…." She grinned.

"From my hand, I play Berserker's Soul!" Kenshin pointed at Gearfried. "For this card to work I must have a monster in play with 1500 or less attack points. When I do I can discard cards from my deck until I come to a magic or trap card. For every monster card I pass on the way my monster may attack once more during this turn."

Hitokage froze…and his eyes widened ever so slightly. "You'd need…seven…"

"Thanks to Training Session, I know I have seven waiting for me." Kenshin drew the top seven cards off of his deck and held them out to Hitokage. "All monsters. Gearfried, Seven Star Berserker's Slash!" The warrior master launched forwards and its blade became a blur as it slammed its sword over and over again against Hitokage's body.

Kenshin- 0

Hitokage- 1300

The entire audience gasped in surprise.

"My life points…" Kenshin stared at his disk…and then looked at Hitokage. "How?"

"During your last attack I discarded one card from my hand to trigger the trap card I had in my graveyard." Hitokage held the card up. "This card is called Shadow Feint. I can only activate it from the graveyard by discarding one card from my hand. It lets me destroy one magic or trap card on the field. So I destroyed my Tower, and then discarded the other card in my hand to return it to the field. And because it returned…"

"…I took 1000 damage." Kenshin's lips lifted slightly. "I must say that I am impressed."

The entire audience was silent…

Hitokage nodded. "You were close, but no one ever defeats me. I might not win, but they certainly won't either."

"That is good, but next time we meet you may have to change that motto." Kenshin hopped off of the arena floor and without the slightest regret walked away. "Perhaps next time then…"

"Perhaps…" Hitokage smiled slightly, while Midas King announced the winner.

* * *

Ichigo sighed and fell back into 'his' bed. The whole day had gone by like a blur, and now he knew what it was like to by a substitute ruler of a demon nation. ("It could be worse…and these are really nice people. Heck, I'm half inclined to stay here for a little longer.") He knew this wasn't a dream now, and though trying to find a way home was on his list of things to do, it wasn't too high up on that list. 

A few cries outside caught his attention immediately. Rolling out of bed, he walked over to his window and looked outside. ("What in the…")

It was like the Aurora Borealis had decided to up and move to the sky above the castle.

"Well, that's interesting…" Ichigo was about to return to bed when a furious pounding hit his door. "Yeah?"

"Prince, you have to come quickly!" The voice was diminishing rapidly, as if the owner of it was already running off.

Sighing, Ichigo slid a shirt on and opened the door.

* * *

"Kenshin-baby…you lost?" Ebony pouted as Kenshin walked past her, his leather jacket shouldered off to one side of his body. 

"Yes I did." Kenshin smiled slightly. "I seem to be losing a lot lately, hmmm?" He sounded nearly cheerful about it.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing…just glad that there are finally people who are forcing me to actually put some effort into dueling."

* * *

"My prince…" A breathless advisor gasped to Ichigo and pointed out to the balcony that overlooked the village located around the castle. 

Ichigo walked out onto the landing and his eyes widened hugely. "Is that…a whale?"

In the air, a huge winged shape resembling a whale floated around the city slowly. Every few moments it would let out a song that truly made it seem like a whale.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes…and then blinked as he saw someone walking into the edge of town. ("Something about that person…")

* * *

"Hey girl, what are you doing out so late?" One of the single sentries asked calmly. 

The person he was speaking to was a young girl of no more than eight or nine years old. She had long prismatic hair and wore a flowing dress across her body of the same color pattern. Opening her prismatic eyes, she giggled sweetly to the sentry. "I'm just out for a walk, that's all."

"Well head inside. This isn't the time to be sight-seeing." The guard looked up at the whale and shivered. Though the thing had yet to do much, it hanging in the air didn't bode well in his mind.

The little girl smiled sweetly. "Would you like to play? I've been so lonely as of lately…"

The guard took a few steps back, lifting his spear slowly. The other guards who were posted nearby also turned their heads to see what was wrong. "Didn't you hear me? Go home and get to bed."

Pouting, the girl pointed up at the flying shape in the sky. "But I'm not sleepy. I want to play!" She grinned mischievously. "Ready?"

"Ready?" The guard shrugged to the others, who returned the gesture.

A dark shadow formed behind the girl. The darkness withdrew and revealed a blue-armored warrior holding a shield in one hand and a slightly curved sword in the other. It lifted the hem of its helmet enough that the guards could all see its red eyes.

"What sorcery…" The guard didn't even get to finish his sentence, as he suddenly found a sword slashing through his ribs.

* * *

Ichigo, along with most of the castle staff that was awake, stared in horror as they watched the warrior carve a path through the guards down below with ease. ("That's….the Black Luster Soldier….") A few moments later the half-demon had to back away because of the coppery smell of blood reached his sensitive nose in full.

* * *

The Black Luster Soldier was like a living tornado. It moved with speed that it seem like it was flying, and with every swing of its sword another life was claimed. Blood stained the grass and dirt….and yet somehow the warrior moved so fast that not a single drop touched it. 

And another form walked through the chaos without the slightest problem. Giggling, the little girl skipped down towards the center of the village, with the Soldier cutting down anyone who even stepped towards her.

People were coming out of their homes now…and then heading right towards the castle. They knew they'd be safe there…

"You don't want to play?" The girl sniffled, looking like she was about to cry. "But I want to play!"

Another shadow formed in the air above her. And it was much bigger than the Black Luster Soldier.

* * *

"Hurry prince, we must get you to safety!" The advisor that Ichigo remembered from before grabbed him by the hand and pulled him off of the landing… 

And a roar forced both of them to fall to their knees and clutch their ears. Then there were incredible amounts of heat as flames lapped at the ceiling and the balcony they had been on just moments before.

When the ordeal ended the ceiling had caved in and hidden whatever was roaring. But that did nothing to conceal the screams and moans of pain that reached Ichigo's ears…

"Come my prince, we must get to safety!" The advisor pulled Ichigo up and nearly dragged him away.

Ichigo was too numb to do much more than stare at the spot where he had just seen dozens of people die while he was being dragged away.

* * *

A few minutes later the two had found their way to the throne room. 

"There is a secret passage here that we can use to escape." The advisor pulled aside a curtain and pulled down on a lever. A portion of the wall slid aside. "Come on, your highness…"

Ichigo started to move towards the opening…and then he heard something. It was the sound of panicked footsteps just outside the throne room. "There are still people alive!" With the heart of hero giving him wings, he leapt past the advisor and made it across the spacious room in a matter of seconds. Shoving the doors open, his eyes widened as he recognized a face that he had met earlier this morning. "Alahandra!"

The servant girl was injured, with an easy to see limp in her step. "Prince Eristo!" She tripped and fell to the carpet.

Ichigo ran over and helped her up. "Come on, let's go! We have a way out of…" His blood ran cold as he heard something from just down the hall.

"_One, two, three, four…"_

"_Skipping down the lane…"_

"_Five, six, seven, eight…"_

"_Across the lovely plains…"_

"_Nine, ten…"_

It was a childish and rather stupid little song…but to Ichigo it was like someone driving nails into his coffin. Because another sound accompanied it….and that was the sound of clanking armor.

Seconds later the little girl skipped into view, with the Black Luster Soldier walking in step just a few feet behind her. "Oh goodie! Hiya!" She waved to the two. "Do you want to play with me?"

The Black Luster Soldier was moving suddenly, a living blur that had its sword ready to end Ichigo's life….

Except all Ichigo felt was hot blood on his cheek.

Alahandra slowly looked down at the sword sticking out of her chest…and let out one pained gasp….

Ichigo felt her hand grow cold….and then in slow motion watched the Black Luster Soldier remove its sword from her corpse and lift the blade up over it head. ("No….stop it….")

"My prince!" A blade came down with impossible power and tore a cut in the armor of the Black Luster Soldier. It blinked in surprise and stumbled backwards, sliding into a fighting position.

The Advisor glanced back at Ichigo. "Quickly, go for the door." Lifting his sword, he growled at the blue-armored warrior. "I have sworn my life to protecting this boy, and you will not harm him!"

Ichigo turned and ran for the door, more on instinct that anything else.

"Defend yourself!" The Advisor charged towards the Black Luster Soldier, his sword raised to battle.

He never even made it that far before a huge blue-scaled clawed foot crashed down through the stone ceiling right on top of his head.

Ichigo's mad dash was stopped….and he slowly turned.

Theclawed foot lifted up out of the way and the girl and Soldier moved past it. Then it withdrew completely. A roar shook the entire structure andthe explosions continued again.

"I only have one person to play with now?" The girl pouted and scuffed the ground with her foot, while the Soldier stood silently behind her. "This wasn't as much fun as I'd hoped."

"Fun…" Ichigo's pupils dilated and the numbness in his mind and body disappeared.

* * *

Eri sighed and poked Ichigo a couple of times. He had started staring into space since about halfway into the duel and now wasn't moving. If she had been paying attention though, she'd have noticed his hand slowly clenching tighter and tighter.

* * *

"Fun…" Ichigo snarled. "What kind of monster are you…that you could kill so many…."

The little girl tittered and the Black Luster Soldier stepped in front of her protectively. "What do you mean? I'm just playing around."

"Playing around?" Ichigo's upper lip rose, revealing his fangs. "Who are you?"

"My name's Chaos." She smiled and the Soldier bent at the knees, preparing to attack.

Ichigo eyes shimmered in the relative darkness of the chamber. "I will not stand for this…"

"Then don't stand. Have a nice nap." The Soldier's feet left the ground and it was suddenly seconds away from putting its sword through Ichigo's chest.

Ichigo's fists clenched tighter…

* * *

"What's the matter with him?" Ashley had joined in poking the half-demon.

* * *

The Soldier remained emotionless as its sword found resistance in Ichigo's chest.

"I…WILL…NOT…" Ichigo's fist launched up and tore the head right off of the warrior. Immediately the being dissipated into shadows. "…STAND….FOR….THIS!"

Chaos blinked in childish surprise, right before a fist slammed right into her face and sent her flying into the back wall. She landed on her feet and rubbed her cheek like it had just been slapped. "OWIE!" Her eyes flickered. "You're a meanie!"

The ceiling right above Ichigo's head caved in as the same clawed foot from before crashed down on top of him.

* * *

"Do you think he's having a seizure?" Sammy was tugging on his ears. 

"I don't know." Griff had joined in poking Ichigo as well.

* * *

"Stupid meanie-head…" Chaos rubbed her cheek, while the clawed foot ground itself into the stone to make sure that Ichigo was effectively crushed. 

"CHAOS!" The clawed foot lifted slightly and then was burned away as an explosion of red energy that left nothing but a stump behind.

"Eeeep." The little girl watched as Ichigo stood up slowly from the area in the floor where there was now an impression of his body in the stone.

Ichigo stood up, his reflecting the pure rage he felt. "YOU WILL DIE!" He charged...

Chaos' expression went from childish innocence to the calm countenance of a killer as she caught Ichigo's descending claw, locked it with her hand, and somehow held him in place. "I hate you!" Her eyes flashed and suddenly Ichigo was skyward. He crashed through the stone of the ceiling and went about a hundred feet into the air above the castle top.

* * *

He hurt all over…and he knew that he was dying. ("Damn it…I can't beat you…") His expression didn't even change as he saw a huge armored dragon snap up its head and release a blast of fire that engulfed him. There was pain…and then nothing.

* * *

"Chaos…" Ichigo was crying now, his eyes squeezed shut and his palms bleeding from the force of his clenching claws.

"Chaos?" Eri and Griff both blinked at him.

"I…" Ichigo's eyes opened slowly. It was like he had been crying for hours, though he'd only been out of it for the fifteen minutes or so that the duel had taken. "Chaos…when we meet…you will die." He slowly stood up. "For Alahandra….for all those who you've hurt…I…will…destroy you." He had said it so quietly, only Griff and Eri had heard.

_To be continued…_

To Adriel: Your opinion has been noted and disregarded.

To Seeker of the Soul: Yep…things didn't look good for Kenshin, did they?

To Bobbomp: Because some people call such a skill being obsessive.

To Anime Albino: Dye his hair? What's wrong with red?

To Rex: Err…..what was that last question?

To Seth Vindicare: I'm glad someone is intrigued. With all these impressed people, I was worried I wasn't going to get any variety.

To Hogwarts-Knight: If Krieger had two seal cards he would not be invincible. Just very powerful.

To Nanashi Minamino: I make hopes come true….sometimes…

To G.O.T. Nick: Where did Adriel come into this equation? He already has a Seal card. Wind, remember?

To Victor: I don't know too much about Shagohad. Never got around to beating MGS3 yet.

To Wolfy: Thank you for your vote of confidence. I'm not sure if my stories will be turned into manga, but I guess we can dream.


	25. Breaking the Ice

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 25: Breaking the Ice

_Krieger scratched the back of his head and looked around his surroundings. "At what point did I wind up underground?" The cave he was in stood out because its structure was like that of an arena, with a pool of water ringing it on all sides._

"_Greetings boy…" A calm voice rang out, sounding like a waterfall emptying its contents into a pool._

"_Err….hi." Krieger looked around in confusion, trying to find the owner of the voice._

"_Do not worry…I only wish to play a little game." The water of the pool parted to reveal a female form made entirely of water. "My name is Undine…and you are one of the Seal Holders. The Seal you hold though is of fire…an element ruled by my brother Salamander."_

_Krieger was having trouble accepting the fact that he was talking to water, so the words Undine said didn't exactly register to him immediately. "……."_

"_Prepare yourself. I will not give my power to one who is unworthy!" Undine waved her hand and stepped onto the stone platform. Behind her, five huge cards lifted out of the pool, apparently unaffected by the water._

_Krieger frowned and clicked his disk into place. "Fine….let's go."_

_("I am with you, partner.") Horus echoed within his head._

Krieger- 4000

Undine- 4000

Krieger drew his opening hand and slid the top card off of his deck. "It's my turn. Draw!" Glancing at the drawn card, he smiled. ("Hey there Horus.")

_("Hello partner.")_ The little dragon's voice screeched in his head.

Bringing his eyes back to the rest of his hand, Krieger saw what his plan was. "I summon Blast Magician (1400/1700) in defense mode." A red-robed spellcaster appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Then I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Undine waved her hand and a card lifted up out of the water. "I draw and summon Tribe-Infecting Virus." A huge blob of purple slime appeared on the field. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy all creatures on the field of the type of my choice. So I discard a card and called spellcaster." The blob shuddered and released a blast of purple smoke that surrounded the Blast Magician and blew it apart. "Tribe, attack his life points directly."

"Reverse card open!" Krieger pointed at his set card. "Flame Counter! This card activates when a fire monster is destroyed during this turn. I can destroy the attacking monster and bring the destroyed monster back to the field!" An explosion of flames consumed the blob and the Blast Magician reappeared on the field.

Undine pointed at her field and a card appeared face-down. "End turn."

Krieger drew. "From my hand I play Pot of Greed." He drew two cards. "I summon Dark Flame Serpent (1300/1200) in attack mode!" A snake-like dragon made of black fire appeared on the field.

"I reveal my face-down trap card! Go Torrential Tribute!" Undine's face-down card flipped up and a wave of water swallowed up the two monsters. "This trap triggers when a monster is summoned to the field. Now all monsters on the field are destroyed." The water withdrew back to the sides of the arena, and there was nothing left in play.

"I'm not done yet!" Krieger held up a card. The face of it began to glow and the form of his Blast Magician returned to the field. "Monster Reborn revives one monster from either graveyard. Then I remove Dark Flame Serpent to summon Flame Spirit!" (1700/1200) A devil-liked creature made of fire appeared on the field. "Now I attack you directly!" Both monsters launched forwards and slammed into the watery female form. "And during my battle phase Flame Spirit gains 300 attack points." (2000/1200)

Krieger- 4000

Undine- 600

Undine's body wavered; looking for a moment like it was going to come apart. Then her watery body reformed and she waved her hand, a fifth card joining her other four behind her. "I remove Tribe-Infecting Virus from my graveyard to special summon the Aqua Spirit!" (1600/1000) A green-skinned girl in a white dress appeared on the field. "Then I sacrifice this monster to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch (2400/1000) in attack mode." A humanoid monster made of ice appeared on the field. "Mobius, Ice Cold Destruction!" It lifted its hands and a blast of energy swept over the Fire Spirit, instantly freezing it and blowing it apart. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Krieger- 3300

Undine- 600

Krieger drew. "I sacrifice Blast Magician to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch (2400/1000) in attack mode!" His monster disappeared and was replaced by a humanoid monster made of flames. "When this card is tribute summoned I select one card at random from your hand and send it to the graveyard. If it is a monster then you take 100 points of damage for every star that monster has." The Monarch pointed at one of the card floating behind Undine and it exploded into flames. "Since you took no damage I can guess that was a magic or trap card."

Undine's face-down card flipped up. "I reveal the trap card Natural Order of Elements. This trap card can only be activated when there are two monsters of opposing elemental forces in play. In this situation, since water beats fire, your monster's attack points become zero and then they immediately battle." (0/1000) Mobius raised its hand and released a blast of ice that slammed into Thestalos, instantly shattering the monster.

Krieger- 900

Undine- 600

Krieger looked at his remaining four cards and grimaced. "I play the magic card Soul Fire Burst. At the cost of 500 life points I can special summon one fire monster from my hand to the field. Come out Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 0!" (1000/1000) The metal form of his partner appeared in play and it screeched at Undine.

"Another monster of fire…but this one will be unable to defeat me easily. After all, my monster represents the power of ice and water. These elements can easily defeat fire."

Krieger pointed at Horus. "Despite what you think, fire can defeat any element if there is enough of it! Activate magic card Wildfire! When this card is played and I have only one fire monster on my field, I can special summon one level four or lower fire attribute from my deck to the field!" Removing his deck from his disk, he fanned out the cards and blinked in surprise at what was sitting near the bottom. ("What's that?")

Undine patiently waited for Krieger to make his choice. After all, it had all of eternity to do this.

Krieger read the text on the card and smiled. "I summon Hell Storm Dragon (1800/800) in attack mode!" An explosion of fire leapt up from the middle of the arena and formed into a roaring dragon-like shape. "This monster unions with one fire monster in play when summoned!" The flaming form dissipated and surrounded Horus, transforming it into a molten fire version of itself. "The union monster gains 1000 attack points and another 500 for every fire monster in the graveyard! Also, the new monster is unaffected by traps!" Energy was pulled into the new form of Horus, and it screeched as it grew huge. (3000/1000)

("Hell Storm Dragon…so that is the new form of Salamander's power?") Undine's form wavered in the heat of the new monster.

"Hell Storm Horus, attack Mobius now!" Opening its jaws, the dragon released a blast of fire that swallowed up the icy monarch and melted it into steam instantly.

Krieger- 900

Undine- 10

"Ten life points?" Krieger blinked in surprise…until he saw a card now sitting on his opponent's field. "What's that?"

"This is the trap card Final Breath. It triggers when I would lose from any condition. Now I discard my hand and continue the duel with ten life points." Undine waved its hand and a card appeared in front of it. "And this duel is done. I activate Changing Tides!"

"Changing Tides?" Krieger's eyes widened as Horus screeched and turned to ice. (0/1000)

"When played, this card brings the attack of the strongest monster on the field to zero. Also, I may special summon one water monster from my graveyard into play." The steam that still lingered on Undine's field formed into Mobius. "Now my Monarch, attack Horus!" The monster lifted one hand and released a blast of cold wind that washed over the frozen dragon and blew it apart. "Your Seal card is no match for mine."

Krieger- 0

Undine- 10

Krieger fell to his knees, suddenly feeling very numb. "But….how? I had you…"

"You did…but I am a force of nature. No one can defeat me." Undine's form pointed at Krieger, and ice formed around his legs. "I cannot let anyone know of my existence for now, so join me in an icy hell."

By the time it had finished its sentence, Krieger was already frozen solid within a crystal of pure ice.

* * *

"Eri!" Ichigo grabbed one of the demoness' wrists, stopping her in her tracks.

"Remove your hand." Eri turned calmly and tapped her foot. "Now."

Ichigo let go and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah…well….I need you to make me a promise."

"A promise?" Eri sneered and leaned in towards him. "What? And here's an even better question…do you think I'll honor it?"

Ichigo's expression reflected seriousness to it that Eri could quickly tell was authentic. "Please keep yourself safe." His eyes watered for a few moments, then hardened. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

Now Eri felt guilty for mocking him… "What are you talking about? There's nothing around here that could hurt me."

Images of Chaos and her incredible strength flashed in Ichigo's mind. "There is…now promise me."

"I promise nothing to anyone who demands it of me!" Eri turned and walked off.

Ichigo stood silent for a few moments, and then punched a hole in the wall next to him.

* * *

Undine snapped its fingers and Krieger's frozen form was moved out of the arena. "Salamander, my brother, you have chosen the wrong person for your host. That boy was far too easy." It was brought out of its reverie by a rock that blew a whole in its watery head. "Hmm? What's this?"

Jared stood at the entrance to the chamber, bouncing another rock in his hand up and down. "How about you try someone a bit older?"

"Another challenger for my power so soon?" The water being lifted its hand and five cards rose up out of the water behind it. "Very well then, prepare yourself mortal."

Jared's disk slid into place. "I don't know what you are, but if I win you free that kid."

Jared- 4000

Undine- 4000

"Very well." Undine waved its hand and a card appeared. "I begin with Mermaid Knight in attack mode and I set three cards face-down on the field. End turn."

Jared's eyes, which were closed while he prepared, opened. "My turn! Draw!" Snapping the top card off of his deck, he added it to his hand and slid another card into his disk. "Heavy Storm activates now! All magic and trap cards in play are destroyed!" A blast of wind shattered all of Undine's set cards. "Now I play Polymerization!" Two cards from his hand shimmered and disappeared. "I fuse Big Koala (2700/2000) and Des Kangaroo (1500/1700) together to create Master of Oz!" (4200/3700) A giant green-furred marsupial appeared on his field. "Also, I play the magic card Wild Nature's Release, adding the defense of my monster to its attack points!" (7900/0) "I set one card face-down on the field! Master of Oz, attack Mermaid Knight!" The monster howled and slammed its fist through the water spirit's monster, shattering it.

"From my hand I activate Final Breath!" One of Undine's remaining two hand cards flipped over. "So for now I am safe."

"Wrong! You activated my set Remove Trap!" Jared pointed at his set card and it flipped up. "When a trap is activated this card activates in response and negates its effect! Therefore, your life points are zero!"

Jared- 4000

Undine- 0

Undine stood there, its form unmoving. Then it shuddered and collapsed into a puddle of water. _"You have won…impressive. For that you earn my power. Accept it."_ A burst of blue light flew out of the puddle and hit Jared's deck.

But he wasn't even listening. He was already running towards the ice-encased Krieger, who was now free and unconscious.

* * *

Rykiel froze…and looked to Ken. "The final seal…."

Ken pointed up at the sky, where clouds were starting to gather. "Yep…they just did their job. Chaos is awake now…and its time for it to cleanse this planet."

"Let's go." Rykiel turned and walked towards the helicopter. "We had best meet Chaos when it arrives."

* * *

Daniel blinked and felt a tingle run through his back. Looking up at his office window he could only stare at the sight outside. "Aurora Borealis? What are the northern lights doing out here?"

* * *

Ichigo was standing outside when he saw the sky change. While some of the other students were simply calling it pretty, it chilled him to the bone. ("Chaos…already?") A mournful song he remembered all too well echoed across the sky.

And the whale came into sight….

_To be continued…_


	26. The time is now and Chaos is here

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 26: The time is now and Chaos is here

Everyone sat in Daniel's office silently…

"So when the final seal was broken Chaos was immediately summoned?" Jared frowned as everyone finished explaining this to him. "So it's my fault that this is happening…"

"No," Hitokage said, sitting back against the nearest wall. "You knew nothing of the seals, and therefore you cannot be held responsible for this. However, we must now go and face Chaos. It cannot be avoided."

"Wrong." Daniel stood up, and so did CJ. "All of you are going to stay here and let us deal with this."

"Right. Rykiel is Daniel's problem and I'll deal with Chaos." CJ pounded his chest with a fist. "We'll win."

"No…"

Everyone turned to look at Ichigo.

The half-demon was looking down at the ground, his eyes squeezed closed. "No one can beat Chaos. It's too strong…"

"How would you know that?" Adriel tapped his foot angrily. "Or are you simply calling all of us weak?"

"I know because I have faced Chaos."

Everyone went silent again.

"When?" Daniel sat down next to his son. "And more importantly…how?"

"It happened just an hour ago…" Ichigo started to tell the story of the mysterious kingdom and Chaos.

"Talk about your interesting views." Ken smirked and looked out through the eye of the creature he had affectionately dubbed the Chaos Whale. "I mean…it's like this thing is some kind of huge blimp."

"Be careful what you say human, because it is alive." Rykiel glanced back into deeper sections of the whale. "This creature is unnatural….and it unnerves me to be within its mouth. However, Chaos will be forming here, so I will tolerate it." The genetic demon crossed his arms and looked down at the island. "So…what is your obsession with Anderson?"

"It is revenge, and that is all you need to know." Ken closed his eyes for a few moments, and clenched his fists. "When all is said and done I'll be offering his soul to Chaos!"

"I have already defeated my demons…but then again…" Rykiel closed his eyes. ("Ryu Zaytel…I would enjoy destroying you as well. Perhaps we can have some fun before Chaos destroys you?")

Ichigo had finished his story.

And everyone was left speechless. The description of Chaos was laughable…until Ichigo explained what it had done. No one said anything.

Then Daniel and CJ stood up. "We have to try."

Ichigo stared at his dad…and then looked at Eri.

The demoness coldly glared at him. She knew that look. ("You want to protect me again? Damn you….")

"Are you ready to go CJ?" Daniel walked behind his desk and picked up his backpack with his duel disk in it.

"When am I not?" The big man picked up his duffel bag and slung it over one shoulder. "We've beaten Yamidra, so this little girl shouldn't be all that tougher."

Jared stood up. "I'm coming…"

CJ held out a hand. "No you're not. Someone has to stay here and keep charge. We'll deal with Chaos and her little fan club."

Ichigo stood up. "No. We're all going along. Every Seal-bearer will have to be around to deal with this. It is our responsibility."

Daniel glanced at CJ…and they frowned. "What part of 'we'll deal with this alone' did you not understand?"

Ichigo's eyes lowered…and he sighed. "Yes sir."

Daniel and CJ both stood at the edge of a cliff. And above them was the Chaos Whale. About five hundred feet above them.

"So…how are we supposed to get up there?" CJ didn't like that fact that if that whale fell out of the air it would land on them and most likely instantly kill them.

"I was supposed to figure that part out?" Daniel asked evenly.

CJ face-fell…and then blinked as he saw a helicopter rapidly approaching in the far distance. "What in the…"

A couple of minutes the helicopter came down and landed in the open space right behind the two demons. The side door of the vehicle opened and a familiar head poked out. "Need a lift assume?"

"Amy?" Both Daniel and CJ honestly considered leaping off of the cliff right behind them…until they saw Ryu sitting inside the helicopter as well. Reluctantly, they both climbed inside. Seconds later they felt like they had leaped back twenty years in time.

"Hello there my friends, how are you?" The familiar ice-blue eyes and brown hair of Siegfried Reinhardt both made them feel very reminiscent about the old times they had been through as Team Topdeck. Now the hair was slightly shorter than normal, but other than that Siegfried looked the same as ever.

And next to him was someone that neither of them could forget. "Deondre…" Daniel and CJ both had to smile now, despite how dire this situation was.

The dog demon gave them both a half-hearted salute and crossed his legs. "I see that neither of you have changed all that much. Good, because I'd be worried if you did change as much as I have."

"You're not all that different." Daniel sat down and strapped himself in.

"Of course. After all, I bet you still run those lousy D.D. cards, don't you?" CJ grinned playfully and strapped himself in next to Daniel.

"They aren't as lousy as a certain someone named CJ, who doesn't know strategy from stupidity." Deondre smiled back…and then all at once all four of them broke into helpless laughter.

And through it all Ryu sat silently, sitting something from a metal flask he kept clenched in his fist.

"So where's Rikuo?" Daniel tilted his head to the side.

"He said he will be here with us in spirit. And on that note…" The dragon demon removed something from his pocket and tossed it to Daniel. "A little gift that Rikuo wants you to keep on you."

Daniel caught the item, which was a metal case about the size of his fist. "Alright…sure…" Placing the item in his back pocket, he looked down at the floor of the helicopter. ("Rikuo…aren't you coming? I can't beat Rykiel alone…")

Amy whistled loudly, and everyone turned to look at her. "It's so good that we finally have all of the members of Team Topdeck together."

"Why's that dear?" Ryu closed his eyes and took another sip from the flask.

"Because I can finally discuss duelist league contracts with each of you."

Everyone except Ryu face-fell.

Minutes later the helicopter was alongside the Chaos Whale…and it showed just how huge the thing was.

"This helicopter is smaller than this thing's pupil…." Daniel shivered, while the monster banked to the side slowly. The helicopter stayed alongside it though.

"So what's the plan Ryu?" Siegfried felt incredibly nervous by the fact that they were in the air and could easily be killed by this thing if it wanted them dead.

"Wait for it." The dragon demon watched as the Chaos Whale slowed in the air, until it finally came to hovering motion. Groaning, its mouth opened slowly. "That's our cue. Pilot, fly inside."

Ken stood along the surface of the whale's tongue, watching as the helicopter pulled in. "Right on schedule."

The vehicle landed down on the soft surface and quickly turned off its engines.

"Who's that guy?" Siegfried watched Ken through his window, and rubbed his chin. "And the better question is…what does he want?"

"He wants me." Deondre slid out of his seat and pushed the side door of the helicopter open. It took him less than a second to get accustomed to the texture of the tongue he was standing on. "It's much drier in here than I thought."

"No jokes…" Ken held up his arm, and his duel disk. "Are you ready to finish this?"

Deondre nodded slowly and looked down at his deck. "Don't expect for me to be in trouble this time."

Jared deposited all of the jackets everyone had been wearing in a pile at his feet. "I can't believe all of you convinced me to do that."

"Well, this is our responsibility." Kenshin brushed a little ice from his shoulder and shivered. "But whoever had the brilliant idea to grab onto the bottom of the helicopter should really have considered the height difference between the ground and the target."

"We survived, didn't we?" Eri growled out. "Besides, now we can get around in here without anyone else noticing us."

Adriel, Krieger, Griff, Hitokage, Eri, Ichigo, Kenshin and Jared all had managed to grab the landing gear of the helicopter as it had been lifting off. Though it was probably the stupidest thing they could have done, it was the only option for them to get up to the Chaos Whale.

"We'd better get going." Adriel turned and started walking down the 'tunnel' they were in. Everyone followed shortly after.

Rykiel's nostrils flared and he growled. "So the daughter and son of the pair come to play, hmm?" He cracked his knuckles. "Good. I look forward to a bit of fun."

Daniel and company followed Deondre outside of the helicopter a moment later.

"Are you going to be alright?" CJ started to approach Deondre, but was stopped by Ryu's outstretched hand.

"This is his fight…and we are not to interfere. Spread out and try to locate where Chaos is. If you find out, then contact the others through whatever means are necessary." The dragon demon walked around the two duelists and went down one of the numerous

Entry-ways' that were all across the back of the Chaos Whale's 'mouth'.

Daniel, CJ, and Siegfried all gave Deondre a nod of reassurance and then they each went their separate ways.

"I think we need to go this way!"

"And I say that this way is the right way!"

"What about that way?"

Jared groaned and slapped his forehead. "Can we please just decide which way we're going to go already?"

They had come to a branch of eight directions, and now were arguing over which way the group should go.

"I have an idea," Rykiel said as he entered the area through one of the eight pathways. "Perhaps you can all worry about who will live and who will die instead?"

All of the eight froze, and then slowly turned to look at the genetic demon.

Rykiel's eyes fixated on Eri and Ichigo most of all though. "My two little whelps…how interesting indeed. Do you remember your uncle Rykiel?"

Both demons shivered in fear, though they didn't remember this guy at all.

"Then let me remind you!" Rykiel's hand opened to reveal a glowing ball of fire that rested within it.

Griff felt a slight stinging and blacked out. Milliseconds later Terra launched forwards and drove his claws straight through the genetic demon's gut. "How about you not pick on kids, ass."

Rykiel's eyes didn't widen in the slightest. He didn't even seem to have noticed the fact that there a hand in his gut. "Excuse me…but who do you think you are?" His knee flew forwards and hit the wolf thief so hard in the chin that Terra was propelled into the back wall.

Eri and everyone else were in motion at this moment, all hoping to take down this madman with a team rush.

Rykiel moved amongst them like a shadow, striking one blow on each of them. Each single blow immediately floored its recipient. "Stupid children…I cannot be defeated that easily." He grabbed Ichigo by the front of the neck with one hand and did the same to Eri with the other. "Now suffer, you little brats!" He slammed their backs against the ground and fell to his knees, bringing his thick arms down into their ribs and stomachs. It was like having a stone cylinder dropped onto them. "Now then…which of the two of you wishes to die first?"

"How about neither?" Rykiel's head lifted just in time to catch a knee right between the eyes. The force of the blow sent him flying to the back of the room, where he crashed into the back wall.

"Who would…" The genetic demon opened his eyes…and then gasped. "Impossible…how…"

"Surprised?" The dim light of the chamber flickered and a pair of golden-amber eyes shimmered in the darkness. "Rikuo Amero cannot be kept down by any lousy penalty game."

Standing in the chamber was Rikuo, in his fully adult body. He wore a simple white muscle shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Around his arm rested one of the newer duel disk models. "Rykiel…this time I will win."

The genetic demon heard this…and instantly felt his blood rise. "I'd love to prove you wrong!" Standing up, he held up his arm. A duel disk appeared on it and immediately clicked into place.

"Daddy…" Eri coughed and tried to stand. But it hurt so much…

Rikuo looked down at his daughter, and then up at Rykiel. "Five turns."

"Come again?" The genetic demon found it hard to believe that the famously angry wolf general was actually keeping calm.

"In five turns, I will defeat you." Rikuo was about to draw…

"Amero!" Terra stood up slowly, and flicked a card towards Rikuo.

The wolf demon caught the card….and didn't look at it. "What do you want, thief?"

"A present. I don't like this guy any more than you do." The other wolf demon pointed at Rykiel. "Make him pay."

Rikuo shuffled the card into his deck and then turned to look at Rykiel. "Just this once…I'll do what you request. Make sure my daughter is alright though."

Rykiel's calm smile said that which didn't need to be said. He was ready for this. "Finally…your best…."

_To be continued…_

Next Chapter: The Ultimate Zombyra; A true hero

To G.O.T. Nick: What's wrong with Jared?

To Seeker of the Soul: There are many strange things in my stories.

To Bobbomp: No. Just a whale.

To Anime Albino: Why would Rykiel try to (and fail) beating up his 'boss'?

To Star: Very true….

To Victor: I can't say that I did.


	27. The Ultimate Zombyra

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 27: The Ultimate Zombyra; A true hero

"_No jokes…" Ken held up his arm, and his duel disk. "Are you ready to finish this?"_

_Deondre nodded slowly and looked down at his deck. "Don't expect for me to be in trouble this time."_

Ken drew. "It's my turn first! Draw!" Glancing at the drawn card, he slapped it down. "Zombyra the Dark Hero!" (2100/500) The bone-armored warrior appeared on his field.

Deondre narrowed his eyes. ("Zombyra…I've got a score to settle with you.")

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn." Ken and Zombyra both motioned for Deondre to come and try them.

"Draw!" Snapping the top card off of his deck, Deondre added it to his hand. "I offer one card from my hand to special summon The Tricky!" (2000/1700) A strange yellow spellcaster with a question mark for a face appeared on the field. "Then I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Ken drew. "I play the magic card Hero's Heart! By cutting the attack of Zombyra in half for this turn, it can attack twice. Also, I play the field magic card Skyscraper!" (1050/500) Huge buildings exploded up all around them. "Finally, the magic card Negative Removal! Now Zombyra can attack players directly, where as before his effect stopped him from doing that. Zombyra…Ultimate Strike!" The warrior leapt through the air and charged down at The Tricky. (2050/500)

Deondre threw up his arms as Zombyra slammed its fist through his spellcaster, and then it punched him right in the gut.

Deondre- 2900

Ken- 4000

Zombyra landed on Ken's field and its attack returned to normal. (2100/500) "End turn."

"My turn, draw!" Deondre pointed at his set cards. "Reveal Magical Calculus! This card returns one spellcaster from my graveyard to the field for every turn it has been in play. However, for every turn it has been in play the special summoned monsters will have their attack cut in half once! Revive The Tricky!" (1000/1700) The yellow spellcaster reappeared. "Also, I summon the Dark Triple Team!" (1000/1000) A trio of odd-looking little beasts in all black clothing appeared on the field.

"I hope you have better than this, because so far I'm not impressed." Ken closed his eyes. ("Revenge will be mine.")

"I don't care if you are impressed or not!" Deondre held up another card. "Activate the magic card Dark Magic Nova!"

"But you only have two spellcasters in play!"

"You'd think that, but my Dark Triple Team counts as three monsters for effects! So now…" The three beasts charged up little balls of energy, while The Tricky did the same. "All together now….three….two….one!" (4000) The blast rocketed across the field and slammed into Zombyra, blowing it apart.

Deondre- 2900

Ken- 3100

Ken braced himself, and then pointed at his set card. "Reveal Hero's Revival! This trap card will return Zombyra to the field!"

"Oh really?" Deondre pointed at his other set card. "Go Dimension Removal! This card will remove one monster from the graveyard and give me a 500 life point boost!"

Deondre- 3400

Ken- 3100

Deondre pointed at Ken. "Like I said…this time I won't be in trouble!"

"We'll see about that!" Ken drew. "Reinforcements of the Army lets me search my deck for one level four warrior monster. Zombyra the Dark Hero in attack mode!" (2100/500) Another of the bone-armored warriors appeared. "Also, I play the magic card Mystical Resurrection. This card requires I have no cards in hand. If so, I can take back the top magic card of my graveyard! Hero's Heart!" (1050/500) Zombyra flipped through the air and punched the Dark Triple Team, blowing it apart. (950/500)

Deondre- 3350

Ken- 3100

Zombyra slammed its fist into The Tricky's face and blew it apart. (1950/500) (750/500) "End turn." (1700/500)

Deondre- 2400

Ken- 3100

Deondre drew. "Apprentice Magician (400/800) in defense mode and one card face-down." Something about this felt different. It was like when he looked upon Ken…he saw someone he had met in the past. "End turn…"

Ken drew. "Reverse card open! The magic card Zombyra's Thunder Fist can be activated if I give up one card from my hand. Whatever monster Zombyra destroys during this turn will lose its effect. Also, Zombyra can deal damage through defense as well." Zombyra launched forwards and drove its knee into the face of the Magician, blowing it apart. "Finally, this card will also return Zombyra to full strength at the end phase of this turn. End turn." (2100/500)

Deondre- 800

Ken- 3100

Deondre drew. ("Who is this guy?") "What's your full name?"

"It isn't important." Ken pointed at Deondre. "Now continue!"

"Fine. I play Pot of Greed." Deondre drew two cards and placed one onto his disk. "I set one card face-down and one monster is defense mode. End turn."

Ken drew. "I also play Pot of Greed. Go Zombyra!" The warrior yelled out a battle-cry and leapt…

Deondre pointed at his newest set card. "Go D.D. Ring! This trap card activates when a monster on my opponent's field attacks. The attacking monster is removed from play!" A glowing ring of prismatic light appeared around the waist of Zombyra and the hero disappeared.

Ken growled and slid a card into his disk. "Hero's Tears! This magic card can only be activated when my opponent destroys a Hero monster during this turn. Now you cannot attack for three turns!"

Deondre drew. "So what? I reveal my face-down Purge Magic! This magic card will destroy all floating effects, but it will also remove my battle phase as well. Now I play the magic card Swords of Revealing Light and end my turn." Glowing green swords of light slammed down onto Ken's field.

Ken drew. "The final hope…Zombyra!" (2100/500) The third bone-armored hero appeared on the field. "Then from my hand I play Heavy Storm! All magic and trap cards will now be destroyed!" Skyscraper and Deondre's Swords of Revealing Light both disappeared within a huge windstorm. "Go Zombyra! Attack the set monster now!" It leapt forwards and punched the set monster, blowing it apart. (1900/500) "Also I set one card face-down and end turn!"

Deondre looked down at his deck…and then drew. "What's your problem with me? Tell me!"

"My problem is that you ruined my father's life!" Ken clenched his fists and screamed in anger. "I hate you!"

"I see." Deondre held up the drawn card. "Card of Demise lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand!" Snapping five cards off of his deck, he slid one into his disk. "Now I activate the continuous magic card Soul Absorption. Whenever a card is removed from play now I will gain 500 life points!"

Ken eyes flicked to Zombyra. "I won't let you destroy him…"

"We'll see! Activate Magical Shadow!" Deondre held up his Swords of Revealing Light magic card that he had removed from his graveyard. "I remove one magic card from my graveyard and search my deck for a magic card with same name, except that one word can be different. Go Swords of Concealing Light!" Swords made of black light slammed onto Zombyra and is vanished, replaced by a set monster card. "When played, this continuous magic card remains in play for two turns. All monsters on your field go into face-down defense mode and all monsters you summon cannot switch modes as long as this card is in play."

Deondre- 1300

Ken- 3100

Ken's eyes started to twitch. ("No…")

Deondre slid another card into his disk. "Activate Nobleman of Cross-out! This magic card removes a face-down monster on the field from play!" A man in shining armor appeared and slashed the set Zombyra apart.

Deondre- 1800

Ken- 3100

"Go Dark Magic Curtain! This magic card lets me pay half of my life points to special summon the Dark Magician!" A bone-framed curtain appeared on his field and withdrew to reveal his purple-robed spellcaster. (2500/2100) "Dark Magician, Dark Magic!" Lifting its staff, the spellcaster released a blast of magic that hurtled towards Ken.

"Reverse card open! Negate Attack!" A swirling vortex appeared and swallowed up the blast.

Deondre slid his last card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ken's hands fell to his sides….and he started to tremble. "You cannot win…I won't allow it!" His arms snapped up and he drew. "From my hand I play the magic card Lost Hope! This magic card will only activate when there are three Zombyra the Dark Hero in my graveyard! Now I can special summon Ultimate Zombyra; The True Hero!" (3500/2100) The being that appeared on the field looked just like Zombyra….but it was surrounded by a glowing aura of energy. "When this monster is summoned all magic and trap cards in play are sent to the graveyard!"

Deondre pointed at his set card. "Emergency Provisions lets me send my two continuous magic cards to the graveyard to gain 2000 life points!" Now he only had his Dark Magician, but at least his life points were recovered.

Deondre- 3800

Ken- 3100

"Zombyra! Revenge Strike!" The warrior head-butted the Dark Magician and blew it apart. "But don't think that you are safe! When Ultimate Zombyra destroys a monster he deals that monster's attack in damage to your life points!" Zombyra dealt a flurry of punches to Deondre's mid-section and then landed back on Ken's field. "End turn."

Deondre- 300

Ken- 3100

Deondre coughed up a few drops of blood, and slowly came to his feet. ("Damn…that hurt.") He drew slowly. "Why won't you tell me your name?"

"Because I have no name." Ken and Zombyra both pointed at the dog demon. "My father is someone you should remember all too well. His name is Clarice."

"Clarice has a kid?" Deondre's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Your dad was nuts long before I met him! Why are you blaming me for this?"

"Because I could have brought him back…but you just had to defeat him during the Shadow Tournament didn't you? Thanks to you, he became obsessed with having to defeat you! Do you know what it is like to live knowing your father is obsessed with defeating someone like you? I was barely even recognized by him…in fact, he barely even knew I was around most of the time! Now you will pay!" Zombyra cracked its knuckles and waited patiently.

"So that's it…" Deondre drew. "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Ken drew. "You're done! Zombyra!" The hero front-flipped through the air and brought its feet down through the set card. "Now you take damage equal to your monster's attack points!"

Deondre caught Zombyra's fist and head-butted the hero back when it leaped in to strike him. "My monster had no attack points! It was a monster named Magical Pigeon!" (0/300) "When destroyed as a result of battle I draw two cards. If either of them are monsters I discard them." Sliding two cards off of his deck, he smiled and shrugged. "Both magic cards. Sorry."

Ken trembled and opened his field magic card slot. "Chaos Dimension!" All around them the air warped and turned prismatic. His hand swung and he rolled a single white die that bounced around and landed on a one. "The attack of my monster increases by 500!" (4000/2100) "End turn!"

Deondre looked down at his deck. "It ends here. Whatever happens now will determine which of us keeps our soul. And just to let you know….I'm sorry for what I did to your family. No, I don't expect forgiveness…but know that I am sorry." He drew. "I play the continuous magic card Bond Removal."

Ken narrowed his eyes…

"Go Breaker the Magical Warrior!" (1600/1000) A scarlet-robed warrior holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other appeared on the field. "When summoned Breaker gets a magic counter equipped to him. This counter raises his attack strength by 300 points!" (1900/1000)

"It doesn't matter. Me destroying an attack mode monster with Zombyra means that I win anyway." Ken clenched his fists. "You lose!"

"Breaker's special ability lets me remove the counter to destroy one magic or trap card on the field! Chaos Dimension will now be destroyed!" Breaker released a curved blast of energy from its sword that hurtled into the air towards the prismatic lights.

"Chaos Dimension cannot be destroyed, you stupid fool!" The light shimmered and the blast stopped in the air. "Now Breaker's effect will eliminate one magic or trap card on your field!" Like a scythe the energy turned and slashed through the Bond Removal card, blowing it into dust.

Deondre pointed at Breaker, who was now glowing. "When Bond Removal is send to the graveyard, all restrictions to one monster's abilities are removed for this turn. Also, this monster can now attack twice."

"And? Breaker can't hopefully kill Zombyra." Ken felt that something was wrong here…and then he realized what is was. "No…."

Deondre slid the last card in his hand into his disk. "Go Legendary Weapon Card Shattering Fang!" A huge fang-shaped sword fell into the hands of the warrior. "This raises my monster's attack points by 1000 and once per turn I can send one magic or trap card to the graveyard each turn!" (2600/1000) "Breaker! Eliminate Chaos Dimension!" The magical warrior slammed the sword into the ground and a wave of energy that tore across the ground. It slid to a stop and then launched backwards towards Breaker, slamming into the Shattering Fang and blowing it apart. "When Shattering Fang is sent to the graveyard ten counters are placed onto one target!" Breaker's body was now limed with energy. (4600/1000)

"4600?" Ken stared at Breaker…and then at Deondre. "You…"

"Sorry, but my son's future depends on me winning. Breaker!" The warrior leapt forwards and slashed through Zombyra, blowing it apart.

Deondre- 300

Ken- 2000

"I'm not done yet…" Ken braced himself…and then saw that Breaker was still standing in front of him.

"Bond Removal lets my monster attack twice!" Breaker's sword slammed into Ken's shoulder.

Deondre- 300

Ken- 0

Ken fell to his knees and pounded the ground at his feet. "Damn you! I will never forgive you for what you…did…." His soul-less body collapsed to the ground.

Deondre stepped forwards and looked down at the son of Clarice. "I don't expect you to."

_To be continued…_

To Seth: Was this better than people talking?

To Seeker of the Soul: Rikuo is never cocky…..err……..yeah, that's a lie.

To Gryphinwyrm: Naw, your Monarch chapter wasn't what inspired me to have Mobius and Thestalos face off.

To Adriel: Do whatever you will for your story. It's becoming too hard for it to stay in canon with mine. As for the helicopter, it was bought my Ryu. He made sure it could carry all that weight.


	28. The five turn goal

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 28: The Five Turn Goal

_Rykiel moved amongst them like a shadow, striking one blow on each of them. Each single blow immediately floored its recipient. "Stupid children…I cannot be defeated that easily." He grabbed Ichigo by the front of the neck with one hand and did the same to Eri with the other. "Now suffer, you little brats!" He slammed their backs against the ground and fell to his knees, bringing his thick arms down into their ribs and stomachs. It was like having a stone cylinder dropped onto them. "Now then…which of the two of you wishes to die first?"_

"_How about neither?" Rykiel's head lifted just in time to catch a knee right between the eyes. The force of the blow sent him flying to the back of the room, where he crashed into the back wall._

"_Who would…" The genetic demon opened his eyes…and then gasped. "Impossible…how…"_

"_Surprised?" The dim light of the chamber flickered and a pair of golden-amber eyes shimmered in the darkness. "Rikuo Amero cannot be kept down by any lousy penalty game."_

_Standing in the chamber was Rikuo, in his fully adult body. He wore a simple white muscle shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Around his arm rested one of the newer duel disk models. "Rykiel…this time I will win."_

_The genetic demon heard this…and instantly felt his blood rise. "I'd love to prove you wrong!" Standing up, he held up his arm. A duel disk appeared on it and immediately clicked into place._

"_Daddy…" Eri coughed and tried to stand. But it hurt so much…_

_Rikuo looked down at his daughter, and then up at Rykiel. "Five turns."_

"_Come again?" The genetic demon found it hard to believe that the famously angry wolf general was actually keeping calm._

"_In five turns, I will defeat you." Rikuo was about to draw…_

"_Amero!" Terra stood up slowly, and flicked a card towards Rikuo._

_The wolf demon caught the card….and didn't look at it. "What do you want, thief?"_

"_A present. I don't like this guy any more than you do." The other wolf demon pointed at Rykiel. "Make him pay."_

_Rikuo shuffled the card into his deck and then turned to look at Rykiel. "Just this once…I'll do what you request. Make sure my daughter is alright though."_

_Rykiel's calm smile said that which didn't need to be said. He was ready for this. "Finally…your best…."_

Terra pulled Eri and Ichigo out of the way, and then started moving aside.

Rikuo and Rykiel's eyes never broke away from the others'.

"Five turns," Rikuo repeated.

"Bullshit," Rykiel responded.

Rykiel- 4000

Rikuo- 4000

Rykiel drew. "Two cards face-down on the field and one monster in defense. End turn."

Rikuo drew. "Turn one. From my hand, I play the magic card Trio Power Team! This lets me discard two cards to special summon three machine monsters that immediately fuse!" A red mechanical dragon, a yellow metal tank, and a blue and yellow robot appeared on his field. "X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank combine to form XYZ Dragon Cannon!" The three machines broke apart and formed into a huge hover tank. (2800/2600) "I discard two cards from my hand to destroy your two magic/trap cards!" The machine released two bursts of energy that shattered the set cards.

Rykiel remained emotionless.

"From my hand I play the magic card Pot of Greed!" Rikuo drew twice. "And then I offer the magic card Repayment of Losses from my hand! This lets me draw one card from my deck when discarded. And because I did so, your monster is destroyed!" The set monster was blown into dust. "Go XYZ! Hyper Destruction!" Its ports opened and it released a wall of energy that soared towards Rykiel.

"I discard Kuriboh." Rykiel smirked as the little furball appeared on his field to intercept the attack. "Anything else?"

Rikuo slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Rykiel drew. "You thought to end me? Foolish demon! I activate the magic card Spirit of Balance. As long as this card is in play I can play cards from my hand in response to your cards. End turn!"

Rikuo drew. ("He's hoping to trap me.") "Turn two. I play the magic card Metal Enhancement Armor! This card, once per turn, negates the cost for an equipped machine monster's effect. Also, its attack power is increased by 500!" (3300/2600) "Now I use XYZ's effect on your Spirit of Balance!"

Rykiel slid a card from his hand into his disk. "I play the trap card Divine Wrath! By discarding a card from my hand, I can negate the effect of your card and destroy it!" The machine whined and blew apart. "Of course now I have no hand….except for the fact that I also discarded a Repayment of Losses." He drew a single card and held it up.

Rikuo growled and slapped a card onto his field. "Go Gold Wind-up Knight!" (1500/1500) A gold-colored mechanical knight appeared on his field.

"Wrong." Rykiel held up the drawn card. "Bottomless Trap Hole sends one monster from your field to the graveyard when it is summoned if it has 1500 or more attack points!" A hole opened up under the machine and it was sucked out of sight.

Rikuo snarled. "End turn."

Rykiel drew. "So we're both low on cards…or at least you are! From my hand I play Card of Demise, drawing until I have five cards in my hand!" Snapping five cards off of his deck, the genetic demon slapped a card down. "Go Dark Salamander!" (1900/700) A black-colored lizard appeared on his field. "Direct attack!" It hissed and started to charge…

"Reveal Negate Attack!" The wolf demon sneered as a swirling vortex appeared and blocked the attack.

Rykiel slid two cards into his disk. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Rikuo drew. "You want to play Card of Demise? Then I'll play it too!" He slid five cards off of his deck. "Then I play the magic card Holy Strike! All Dark attribute monsters in play are destroyed!" The Dark Salamander screeched and blew apart.

"In response I play the trap card Unholy Revival, returning my monster to the field." The Dark Salamander reappeared and hissed in anger at Rikuo. "You cannot defeat me."

"We'll see about that!" Rikuo slid another card into his disk. "Go Metal Reconstruction! This magic card lets me revive one fusion machine monster to the field! Return XYZ Dragon Cannon!" The composite hover tank reappeared on the field.

"And from my hand I play Bottomless Trap Hole again." Rykiel snickered as the machine was removed from play through a hole in the ground again. "Such a darn shame….want to try again?"

Rikuo snarled and slapped down a different card. "Supreme Soul! This magic card takes my normal summon for the turn and special summons one removed from play monster! Awaken XYZ Dragon Cannon!" The machine reappeared.

Rykiel held up the last card in his hand. "And I activate my final Bottomless Trap Hole!" Another pit opened up in the ground and sucked the machine out of sight. "You're finished!"

"We'll see!" Rikuo slid a card into his disk. "From my hand I play the magic card Dimension Fusion! At the cost of 2000 life points I will special summon all monsters from my removed from play pile!" His X-Head Cannon, Z-Metal Tank, Y-Dragon Head, XYZ Dragon Cannon, and Gold Wind-up Knight appeared on the field.

"Reveal face-down Torrential Tribute!" Rykiel snickered as an explosion of water swallowed up all the machines and destroyed them. "You cannot win, fool!"

Rikuo slid the last card in his hand into his disk. "End turn."

Rykiel drew. "Reverse card open! I reveal the trap card Reverse of Hell! This trap card destroys one set card on your field and deals you 500 damage!" Rikuo's set card blew apart and flames licked along the wolf demon's form. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Rykiel- 4000

Rikuo- 1500

Rikuo drew. "Turn three." He slammed a card down. "Go Jinzo Jr.!" (1400/1200) A strange-looking child-like version of the green armored humanoid appeared on the field. "Now you can't use trap cards! Direct attack!"

"Reveal quickplay magic card! Dark Balance destroys your Jinzo and then we both draw three cards!" Rykiel snapped three cards off of his deck.

Rikuo slapped down a new card. "When destroyed Jinzo Jr. special summons the man himself! Jinzo!" (2400/1500) The machine monster appeared and chuckled coldly at Rykiel. "Direct attack!"

"From my hand I play Painful Reach from the Graveyard!" Rykiel's graveyard slot spat out a dark claw that slammed into the machine monster and blew it apart. "When I have fewer than three monsters in my graveyard I destroy one monster."

Rikuo's eye started to twitch. "One card face-down and end turn."

Rykiel drew. "Awaken!" His Dark Salamander reappeared on the field. "When I have fewer than four cards in my hand it can be special summoned by offering one card." The lizard faded away. "Then I sacrifice this creature to summon Dark Jinzo!" (2400/1500) A black-armored machine monster that looked exactly like Jinzo appeared on the field. "This monster can only be summoned if there is a Jinzo in the graveyard. Its attack strength increases by 1500 and it gains the effect of Jinzo! Direct attack!" (3900/1500)

"Reveal Distraction Device!" A box appeared and a boxing glove exploded out of it, slamming the Dark Jinzo in the face and stopping it cold.

Rykiel chuckled. "End turn, funny man."

"Turn four!" Rikuo drew slowly….and then glanced back to see that Eri was awake… "I won't lose! Go Magnetic Recovery! This lets me revive Jinzo!" The machine monster reappeared on the field in a crouching position. "Also…I activate Lord's Seal! This magic card lets me special summon one monster with Lord in its name to the field from my deck, but at the end of my turn that monster is destroyed! Wolf Demon Lord, arise!" The wolf demon's physical avatar appeared on the field and howled loudly. (2400/1000)

Rykiel grimaced as the power of his Dark Jinzo dropped to normal. (2400/1500)

Rikuo looked at the last card in his hand…and then at Rykiel. "Wolf Demon Lord, attack Jinzo! Howling Sword!" The samurai slammed its blade into the ground and created a wave of phantom flame that hit the machine and blew it apart. Moments later the demon blew apart as well. "I'm not done yet! Go Hell Meteor!"

"Hell Meteor…" Rykiel watched as a rift tore the sky apart and a huge fireball began to form. "It's not that easy. In response I play the ultimate magic card! Go Level the Field! This card drains us both of 1000 life points and I have to have an empty field for me to trigger it. Now we both send all cards in our hands and fields to the graveyard." He discarded his hand and watched as the Meteor continued to build.

"Then I draw one card and activate it immediately! Go Poison of the Old Man. This card lets me gain 1200 life points!" The meteor dropped onto his head and for few moments he disappeared. Then it faded to reveal him standing. There was smoke rising off of him, but he was still standing. "You cannot defeat me. Because Level the Field prevents you from drawing cards for the rest of the game after your next turn ends. You only get one more draw, and then this duel will be mine. So end turn, Rikuo Amero. Because next turn I feel that I'm going to draw Death Meteor. It is a magic card that will deal you 1000 life points of damage. In other words…draw your final card."

Rikuo lowered his head, his ears drooping slowly…and then he looked up at Rykiel. "You'll never succeed."

"And why is that? I am perfect." Rykiel coldly sneered and his hand inched over his deck.

"Perfect…no one is perfect." Rikuo lifted his head. "You taught me something important…and that is to never fall to pride! I will win this duel…because my daughter's life depends on it, nothing more! My duty as a father drives me to win….and it is a duty I cannot shirk just because some idiot like you comes along and takes my attention away." He stood up straight, red and black energy flowing from him in an aura. "I am Rikuo Amero, the Wolf Demon Lord! And you are nothing more than a genetic freak of nature! Draw!" He drew. "This card…" His eyes widened and he looked to Terra.

The other wolf demon's lips lifted slightly.

Rikuo turned to look at Rykiel. "You lose. From my hand I play Spider's Web!" A line of silk launched across the field and flew into the graveyard slot of Rykiel's disk. "This card takes the top card of your graveyard and adds it to my hand." The silk line tugged a single card through the air, depositing it in the wolf demon's hand. "And that top card of your graveyard…"

The pain from the Hell Meteor caught up to Rykiel as he realized what was going on. "It can't be…" He fell to his knees.

"Poison of the Old Man has two effects. The first lets the user regain 1200 life points. The second deals 800 life point damage to the opponent. Take a guess which one I'm going to use!" A holographic representation of the card appeared on the field and a blast of energy exploded out of the card, slamming into Rykiel and then filling the chamber with blinding light.

Rykiel- 0

Rikuo- 500

As the light cleared, Rikuo frowned at the fact that Rykiel had disappeared. "Whatever…I still beat you finally." He flicked the Spider's Web card back to Terra and gave the thief a weak salute. "Thanks for your help. Maybe I won't kill you after all." He closed his eyes and his hair changed red.

Terra stared at the wolf demon…and then realized that he was currently burning up his precious energy. ("Time to retreat for now.") Without a guiding soul, Griff's body collapsed to the ground.

Daniel opened his eyes and looked at the seven students and Jared. "It's been a long time since I've done that." He removed the metal box from his pocket and opened it. It was a deck case. And by the pulse he felt from the deck he knew it was his. "Yep…now let's find Rykiel before he can cause any more problems."

As one all of them stood up, with Hitokage and Kenshin helping the unconscious Griff along.

_To be continued…._


	29. Chaos vs

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 29: It's now or never; Chaos vs.….

Rykiel clutched his side, feeling his blood drip to the floor. "This…how could I have lost? I am supposed to be the perfect being…" Gritting his teeth against the pain, he touched his hand against the wall in front of him and it opened up like a door, revealing a dark passageway. "I…must….locate….Chaos…." Stumbling through the opening, he tried to ignore the fact that he could feel his ribs through his flesh.

As he wandered down the hallway….his mind started to flicker with memories.

_Dr. Collins watched the floating form of Rykiel through the glass tank in front of him. "The ultimate duelist…and the ultimate demon. Rykiel…you will be perfect. I'll be rich, and all those who mocked me will fall."_

Rykiel stumbled and crashed to the ground. Snarling, he forced himself to his feet and continued on his way down the path. "I will not fall!"

_Rykiel punched a hole through the glass tube…_

"I have made it too far! I will not die here!"

_Collins clutched futilely at the claw that rested around his neck, squeezing tightly. "Rykiel…"_

"_Silence, old man." The genetic demon snapped the doctor's neck without a second thought…and then he looked to the wall where he saw his deck and disk. "I will not be controlled."_

Rykiel remembered his mental promise, and he pushed on. "I will not fall!"

* * *

A few minutes later he made it into the back chamber of the Chaos Whale. The place he had simply dubbed 'the meeting room'. And it was here that a huge prismatic crystal rested on a glass pedestal.

Rykiel watched the pulsing of the crystal and fell to his knees. "Chaos…I suggest you come here quickly. Your enemies grow near." His ears perked up as he heard footsteps from not too far away. "Damn it…"

Rikuo was the first to enter the room. "Ah, there you are Rykiel. How are things?" He licked his lips and cracked his knuckles. "You have nowhere to hide."

"I'm not hiding." Rykiel slumped against the crystal, his eyes closed. "I would….never…hide from….you…" He crashed to the ground, unconscious from the loss of blood he had suffered before.

"Stupid…" Rikuo began to approach the crystal….and then blinked as cracks started to appear along its surface. "What in the hell is this?"

The eight seal-holders all felt like running. Something about this situation rang out as wrong to them.

"Dad…let's go…" Eri started to step backwards…

The crystal's cracks grew…and then it shattered. Nothing happened for a few seconds, and then an explosion like that of a bomb went off. Everyone was hurled to their backs.

Ichigo growled at the vortex that had formed. "I won't let you! Chaos, I won't!" Grabbing his disk, he leaped straight for the vortex.

"Ichigo!" Daniel took over his body again just in time to watch his son disappear within a glowing hole of prismatic light. And then something even worse happened….the vortex crystallized, turning into a huge lump of prismatic crystal that crashed to the ground.

Everyone else groaned and stood up slowly, staring at the crystal…

Daniel and Rikuo as one looked around…and realized that their children had disappeared.

* * *

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes….and groaned. "Oh man…what hit me?"

"_One, two, three, four…"_

"_Skipping down the lane…"_

"_Five, six, seven, eight…"_

"_Across the lovely plains…"_

"_Nine, ten…"_

Ichigo slowly came to his feet. "Good…I've wanted to run into you again before the day ends."

Now that he standing he could see that he that he was on a flat stone surface that was hovering within a prismatic void. "How pleasant…I'm trapped in nowhere."

The prismatic energy of the void was parting and he already knew who it was. "Chaos…"

"Hiya!" The prismatic-haired killer literally skipped from the void right onto the platform. "Oh I remember you! You're that weird mean boy."

The half-demon's eyes narrowed. "Yes…and I'm going to make you pay for what you have done."

Chaos' eyes lit up happily. "You mean you wanna play? YAY!" She started dancing around her end of the platform.

Ichigo would have face-fallen…but images of what she could do flashed in his mind. "Let's go!" His duel disk turned on.

"Ow…where am I?"

Ichigo snapped his head back. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you talking about?" Eri leapt up and glared at him. "And who's the freaky kid in the dress?"

"Gonna get to play….gonna get to play!" Chaos continued to dance around.

"Get out of here!" Ichigo nearly screamed in the face of the demoness.

Eri responded by snap-punching him in the voice-box, leaving him on his knees and gasping for air. "Don't ever tell me what to do!" She walked past him and turned on her duel disk. "From what I can gather you're Chaos. Well then I'd love to get rid of you."

"You wanna play too?" Chaos squealed and hopped to the far end of the field. "Then let's start!" Five glowing cards appeared in her hand, though there was no deck to be seen around her.

Ichigo popped his voice box back into place and stood up. "Eri! Don't do this!"

Eri- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Chaos- 4000

"Come play!" Chaos waved her hand and a card appeared in it. "I'm gonna set this card face-down on the field, and then this little monster in defense. End turn!" She struck a little pose and giggled to herself.

Eri snapped the top card off of her deck. "This shouldn't be too hard. I summon Spirit Reaper (300/200) in defense mode and set one card face-down. It's your turn." She glanced at Ichigo. "And don't tell me to go, because it is too late."

Ichigo's eyes twitched and he drew. ("Damn it…I have to finish this fast then.") "I summon Cyber Shadow-Sentinel in attack mode!" (1500/1300) A silver robot appeared on his field. "Attack the set monster now!" It launched forwards and slammed its fists down on top of the monster, blowing it apart.

Chaos skipped up and down. "You attacked my Skelengel!" (900/600) "When it is flipped up I draw one card!" Another card appeared in her hand.

Ichigo snarled and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Chaos waved her hand and a new card appeared in it. She slid it amongst the rest of her cards and grasped another one. "New plan. Now you try to survive." She smiled sweetly and the card faded away. On her field stood a metal-covered demon that was colored pure black. "I summon Death Kaiser!" (1800/1600) "Attack the stupid machine now!" It leapt forwards and slashed through Ichigo's robot. "And I set this little card face-down."

Eri- 4000

Ichigo- 3700

Chaos- 4000

Eri drew. "So far I'm not impressed! I sacrifice Spirit Reaper to summon Ryu Kokki!" (2400/2000) Her monster disappeared and was replaced by a hideous bone snake. "Attack Death Kaiser! Doom Poison!" Hissing, the snake spat out a glob of purple goop that hit the demon and dissolved it. "And now your life points go down."

"No no no…" Chaos shook her head in childish denial. "I have this little continuous trap on my field." One of her two set cards flipped up. "It's called Chaos Reversal! Any damage I would take whenever a dark or light monster is destroyed because of battle is done to you instead!" Giggling, she pointed at her other face-down card. "And my other card is Loss of Life. This card treats any destroyed monster as if it was sacrificed. And when Death Kaiser is sacrificed I get to draw two cards." Sliding two cards off of her deck, the girl grinned at Eri's pale face. "So I win…bleah!" She stuck her tongue out at the demoness.

Eri- 3400

Ichigo- 3700

Chaos- 4000

"Why you little…" Small veins appeared on Eri's forehead. "I'll….I'll….end my turn."

Ichigo drew and took a deep breath. ("I have to try and get rid of Chaos before she can hurt Eri.") Looking at his hand he groaned. ("Except I have no monsters in my hand.") "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Chaos waved her hand and another card appeared. "Yay! It's my turn! And from my hand I'll play Graceful Charity. Now I draw three cards and discard two." Three new cards appeared in her hand and then two of them disappeared. "Okay, the stage is set! And soon fun time will begin! Until then, I set a monster face-down and two cards face-down too."

Eri drew. "You little brat. I can't believe that he was actually worried about you being some kind of threat." The demoness slapped a new card onto her disk. "I summon Hellmare in attack mode!" (1500/500) A horse made of blue fire appeared on her field. "Attack the set monster now!" It snorted and leapt over to the set card, bringing its hooves down onto it and shattering it instantly. "Now Ryu Kokki, attack her life points directly!" The bon snake hissed and spat a glob of poison towards Chaos, but it stopped halfway there and dissolved. "A trap?"

"Nopers!" Chaos did a little ballerina spin and smiled. "You destroyed my Hane Kuriboh (300/200) and when it is destroyed as a result of battle, all life point damage to me is zero for this turn!"

Eri's eyes widened and she clenched her fists. "End…turn." Now she looked incredibly pissed off.

Ichigo drew, staying as cool as he could. ("Damn it all to hell….") He still had no monsters that he could summon to the field. "I end my turn."

"Damn it Ichigo!" Eri snarled at him…and then softened when she saw the hopeless look on his face. "What's…"

Chaos drew and started to cheer. "It's show time….It's show time….It's show time!"

* * *

Daniel punched the crystal…and withdrew his throbbing hand from it. "OWW!"

"You won't get through it…it's impossible to break." Ryu frowned as he watched the crystal… "However…" He reached over and picked up a duffel bag he had carried with him. "Perhaps we can see what is going inside."

* * *

Chaos stopped in mid-skip and then stuck her tongue out at both demons. "Bleah! I remove two light monsters and two dark monsters from my graveyard!" Though nothing physically happened, they could only take her word for it. "And that'll let me summon my best play-toys! Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning and Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End!" (3000/2500) (3000/2500)

The platform began to shake. A light-covered form rose down from the void and landed on the girl's field. It was the blue-armored warrior that Ichigo remembered so well.

And the other form was so big that it nearly couldn't fit on the square. It was a huge blue-scaled dragon that was covered in certain areas by gold and silver armor. Roaring, the monster brought burning fire eyes down to look at Eri like she was some kind of snack.

Ichigo growled low in his throat…feeling helpless because he was unable to do anything.

Eri shuddered at the sight of the things. "The Chaos Gods…." Her father had told her about them…but to see them here…and to face them.

Chaos hugged one of the legs of the Chaos Emperor Dragon. Though it didn't respond, both demons felt her connection to its power. "These two are my favorite toys. They always make games so much fun." Her smile was impossibly innocent. "Though I guess you guys won't like them so much in a minute. But I hope you had fun thinking you could win."

* * *

Everyone had gathered together in the crystal room, and hovering on the ceiling was a view of within the dimension. At the moment there was nothing but prismatic void though.

"Maybe if I move this here…" Ryu fiddled with an odd golden projector that was sitting on top of the crystal. He looked up at the ceiling, frowned, and then fiddled with the machine again. "Maybe this way….or maybe if I turn it that way a little bit."

Rikuo leapt forwards and slammed his fist onto the machine. It whined and the picture flickered onto the platform. "Problem solved Jourgen, now show me my princess!" He looked up, as did everyone else….

And they all gasped at once.

"Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning…." Kenshin couldn't believe that one of his best monsters was in the possession of Chaos.

"Chaos Emperor Dragon…" Deondre vaguely remembered seeing the monster once, but now that he looked upon it in all of its glory the memories came flooding back in. "Eri and Ichigo are fighting that thing?"

"They're fighting both of them…" Siegfried felt that this was unfair. How could two novice (at least in his mind) duelists hope to defeat something like the legendary Chaos Gods?

"Daddy's coming Princess!" Rikuo slammed his claws against the crystal over and over again, but nothing could break the surface. Nothing.

* * *

"Let the party begin!" Chaos pointed at Eri. "Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack Ryu Kokki now! Apocalypse Burst!" The dragon snarled and released a wave of prismatic fire that hurtled towards Eri's field.

_To be continued…_


	30. Chaos Hell

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 30: Chaos Hell

"_Let the party begin!" Chaos pointed at Eri. "Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack Ryu Kokki now! Apocalypse Burst!" The dragon snarled and released a wave of prismatic fire that hurtled towards Eri's field._

"Reverse card open!" Eri pointed at her now face-up set card. "Devil's Seal will lock the attacking monster away permanently. And where it is going there will be no chance of recovering it." A glowing kanji symbol appeared in the air in front of her. "Prepare for oblivion."

"That won't do at all." Chaos pointed at one of her set cards. "I reveal my counter trap. It's called Divine Anger. It will negate your trap card because it was targeting a level eight or higher monster on my field with an effect." The kanji symbol shuddered and faded away.

Eri threw up her arms, but she couldn't stop herself from screaming in pain as fire washed over her Ryu Kokki and blew it apart. The over wash of flame covered her from head to toe for a few seconds….and then it faded.

Eri- 2800

Ichigo- 3700

Chaos- 4000

Ichigo stared at smoke rising from the demoness' clothing. "Eri!" He turned to look at Chaos. "Stop it!"

Chaos giggled and pointed at Ichigo. "Your turn. Black Luster Soldier, Creation's Blade!" Roaring out a battle-cry, the warrior flew across the field towards the half-demon.

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo sneered. "You triggered my Mirror Force trap card! When activated it will negate your attack and destroy all attack mode monsters on your field!" A glowing barrier appeared and absorbed the attack….then shattered while the Soldier's sword slashed across Ichigo thousands of times, leaving him with hundreds of small bleeding cuts along his whole body. He stumbled and fell to his knees, while the Soldier floated back to its mistress' field. "How…?"

"You triggered my Chaos Force trap card. It negates one effect as long as either Chaos Emperor Dragon or Black Luster Soldier are in play." Chaos grinned like a child who had just gotten a gold star. "So nyah nyah!" She stuck her tongue out at him.

Eri- 2800

Ichigo- 700

Chaos- 4000

Eri slowly came to her feet and drew. "It's my turn!" She looked at her drawn card and then at the Soldier. "You're about to pay! From my hand I play the magic card Sword that Seals the Dead!" A sword with a skull at the cross-hilt flew through the air and pierced the armor of the Black Luster Soldier. It groaned and turned to stone. "Now your monster will remain useless until you destroy a monster on your field. Also, I summon Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in defense mode and switch Hellmare into defense mode. End turn." A woman in black robes appeared on her field in a crouching position, and the flaming horse kneeled down as well.

Ichigo was still on his knees. Growling, he forced himself to his feet and drew. "I punched the head off that Soldier once, and I'll do it again." Looking at the drawn card he sighed in relief. "Finally. I summon Cyber Shadow-Trainer (300/1200) in defense mode and place one card face-down. End turn." A grizzled old man in a black body-suit appeared on his field.

Chaos waved her hand and a card appeared amongst her remaining two. "Yayness! It's time for me to have fun again!" She didn't seem bothered by the fact that her Soldier was sealed away. "I attack with Chaos Emperor Dragon against the Hellmare! Apocalypse Burst!" Roaring, the dragon sprayed the horse with prismatic flames and blew it apart.

Eri stumbled back and nearly collapsed. Just the backlash was almost too much for her.

Chaos giggled and the three cards in her hand appeared as huge representations of themselves behind her monsters. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn."

Eri shook her head rapidly to try and remove the ringing in her ears and the pain in her body. "It's my turn now…so watch out Chaos!" She drew. "I also set three cards face-down and one monster in defense. End turn."

Ichigo drew, trying to ignore the blood that was staining his nearly ruined Osiris Red jacket. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer (0/2400) in defense mode." A warrior with a huge riot shield in front of it appeared on his field in a crouching position. "End turn."

Chaos waved her hand and looked at her 'drawn' card. Then she started doing something that reminded Ichigo far too much of his 'I'm the best' dance. "I did it…I did it!" She slapped the drawn card onto her disk. "I summon Death Kaiser!" (1800/1600) A demon in black armor appeared on her field and growled. "Attack the mean girl's Witch now!" It leaped through the air and drove its wrist blades through the woman, destroying it instantly.

Eri removed a card from her deck. "When sent to the graveyard, Witch of the Black Forest lets me search for a monster with 1500 or less defense points from my deck and add it to my hand."

"And then I attack with Chaos Emperor Dragon! Apocalypse Burst against the mean boy's Shieldy guy!" The dragon screamed and sprayed the Shield Bearer with flames.

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up. "By activating Alert Tripwire, I can negate your attack and draw cards equal to the number of Cyber Shadows on my field. Also, all of your attacks for the rest of this turn are negated as well!" He snapped two cards off of his deck and added them to his hand.

"Then I reveal my set Mystik Wok. This card lets me sacrifice Death Kaiser to gain life points equal to its attack. And since it was sacrificed, I get to draw two cards." Chaos waved her hand and two cards appeared in her hand, while her demon disappeared. "And cause I sent a monster to the graveyard, I get to revive my Soldier!" The Sword that Seals the Dead shattered and the Black Luster Soldier stood up, looking completely unharmed from its imprisonment. "Then I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Eri- 2800

Ichigo- 700

Chaos- 5800

Eri and Ichigo both gritted their teeth. They exchanged a single look and then Eri drew. "I set one monster in defense and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "Chaos…you're finished!"

Chaos stuck out her tongue at him. "Nuh uh, mean wolfy!"

"Oh really?" Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "I play Special Operative Weapon-Stinger! This card equips to Shield Bearer!" A futuristic rocket launched appeared on the shoulder of the shield-carrying monster. "Now I use its effect to destroy your two Chaos monsters!"

Chaos stomped her foot angrily and one of her set cards flipped up. "I activate the trap card Dust Tornado, destroying your card!" A blast of wind shattered the rocket launcher.

Ichigo smirked. "It's no problem. I sacrifice Trainer and Shield Bearer to summon Cyber Shadow-King of Swords!" (2600/2300) The two monsters were replaced by a warrior with glowing fore-arm blades attached to him. Opening its eyes, it smirked just like Ichigo had. _"Finally, a challenge…"_

Chaos giggled and pointed at the King of Swords. "What a silly guy!"

"Silly?" Ichigo slid a card from his hand into his disk. "You won't be laughing when I play Cyber Shadow Mainframe. This card raises the attack of all Cyber Shadows by 500 points!" (3100/2300) "Ultimate King's Slash!" The King of Swords started to shimmer, preparing to cut down the Black Luster Soldier.

Chaos did a little jig and pointed at a different set card. "You fell for it! I flip up Magic Cylinder! This trap card will deal your monster's attack in damage to your life points!"

"Wrong!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up. "Shadow Theft will steal your card and give it to me. But since I'm not blocking an attack it is simply destroyed!" The trap exploded into dust.

Chaos pouted and pointed at her other set card. "Then I reveal the quickplay magic card Mirage Magic. It'll negate your mean attack and give me life points instead!"

"Wrong." Eri sneered and pointed at one of her set cards. "I reveal Magic-hunting Spirit! This trap negates your magic card and would blast a magic card from your hand if you had any!" A ghost flew out of her face-up card and hit the Mirage Magic card, blowing it into dust.

King of Swords shimmered, and the Black Luster Soldier blew apart.

Eri- 2800

Ichigo- 700

Chaos- 5700

Ichigo smirked and pointed at Chaos. "It's your turn."

The little girl stared at the space where her Black Luster Soldier had been…and started to sob.

Eri growled and flexed her claws. "Damn it all! Make your move!"

Chaos stopped crying…and her eyes suddenly reflected a cold fury that sent both demons reeling. "No one ruins my fun! No one!" Chaos waved her hand and a card appeared. "I play the magic card Chaos Redemption! When played and I have an Envoy in play another Envoy may be special summoned from my graveyard to the field. Also, all magic and traps in play are sent to the graveyard!" The Black Luster Soldier reformed on the field and a storm of crackling energy shattered the cards on everyone's fields.

King of Swords (2600/2300)

Chaos' childish face calmly smiled at the now pale Ichigo. "I could end your life now…but I'd like to stretch this out. Chaos Emperor Dragon, Apocalypse Burst!" The Dragon roared and sprayed the King of Swords with flames, blowing it apart.

Eri- 2800

Ichigo- 300

Chaos- 5700

Ichigo screamed in pain as he was literally lit aflame from the prismatic fire that washed over him. When it faded his face and skin were bright red…and all of his cuts were cauterized because of the sheer heat of the attack.

"Black Luster Soldier, attack the bitch's monster!" The warrior leapt across the field and slashed the first set monster apart. "And when it destroys a monster as a result of battle, it can attack again!" The Soldier turned on one heel and slashed Eri's other monster apart as well.

The demoness snarled and held up one of her destroyed monster cards. "You sent Sanctified Soul (100/100) to the graveyard, and when that happens we all draw until we are holding six cards in our hand!" She snapped five cards off of her disk.

Ichigo, through some miracle, managed to draw two cards through the pain he was currently experiencing.

Chaos waved her hand and six cards appeared. "Offerings won't appease my fury, mortal." Her face turned sweet again. "However…I play the magic card Chaos Release. This magic card will force me to discard my hand and drew an equal number of cards plus one." She let go of the cards and they faded away. A new hand appeared. "Then I set four cards face-down and end my turn."

Eri drew. "I summon Soul of the Wolf!" (1400/1200) A white ghost-like wolf appeared on her field. "And I'm summoning my monster in attack mode! Also, I play the continuous magic card The Dark Door. Now only one monster may attack per turn. End turn."

Ichigo looked at the monsters on Chaos' field…and then growled. "It's my turn!" He drew. Smoke rose from some of the cuts along his face…but he couldn't feel pain. "I will destroy you! From my hand I play Monster Rebirth! This magic card lets me take one monster from my graveyard and shuffle it into my deck." He removed King of Swords and shuffled it into his deck.

"Why would you return that thing?" Chaos tilted her head to the side.

Ichigo smiled slightly. "You'll see. Come out now, Cyber Shadow-Shifter!" (800/1200) A black-clothed ninja appeared on his field. "Now the magic card Shadow Shift!" Shifter fell to its knees, as did the Chaos Emperor Dragon and Black Luster Soldier. "This magic card forces all monsters on the field to switch modes, and then…reverse cards open!"

"You don't have any face-down cards." Chaos said calmly.

"I didn't mean mine! I meant yours!" All four of Chaos' cards flipped up and shattered. "Shadow Shift forces all set cards to open immediately. If they cannot activate during this situation, they are destroyed."

Chaos gasped…

"And then I sacrifice Shifter to special summon King of Swords from my deck!" The ninja disappeared and was replaced by the ultimate warrior. (2600/2300) _"I'm back…and this time I will not be defeated so easily."_

Chaos giggled. "Silly wolfy, my monsters will destroy him next turn."

"We'll see about that! Activate equipment magic card Special Operative Weapon-Laser Swords!" A pair of laser swords appeared in the hands of the King. "This allows a Cyber Shadow to attack twice. Double Ultimate Slash!" King of Swords shimmered and both Chaos monsters exploded into dust.

Eri- 2800

Ichigo- 300

Chaos- 5500

Ichigo smirked and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down. End turn."

"You big big meanie!" Chaos started hopping up and down, the beginnings of temper tantrum building from her.

Eri and Ichigo both sneered at the spirit. "What's the matter? Can't stand the fact that you just lost your best monsters?"

"My best?" Chaos stopped in her tracks and snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah! I nearly forgot." She waved her hand and a card appeared in it. "There it is."

"There's what?" Ichigo frowned at the fact that Chaos had calmed down so quickly.

"You're such a silly mortal. Those monsters weren't my best." Chaos held up the new card and a holy light shined down onto the field. "I remove a light and a dark monster from my graveyard."

"Another Chaos monster?" Eri's eyes widened. Her father had always told her that there were only two.

"That's right!" Chaos started to do her apparently happy dance. "Come on out Chaos Seraphim-Envoy of Heaven!" (2500/3000) The light got brighter as something lowered onto the field.

_To be continued…_


	31. The Chaos Seraphim

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 31: The Chaos Seraphim

"_My best?" Chaos stopped in her tracks and snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah! I nearly forgot." She waved her hand and a card appeared in it. "There it is."_

"_There's what?" Ichigo frowned at the fact that Chaos had calmed down so quickly._

"_You're such a silly mortal. Those monsters weren't my best." Chaos held up the new card and a holy light shined down onto the field. "I remove a light and a dark monster from my graveyard."_

"_Another Chaos monster?" Eri's eyes widened. Her father had always told her that there were only two._

"_That's right!" Chaos started to do her apparently happy dance. "Come on out Chaos Seraphim-Envoy of Heaven!" (2500/3000) The light got brighter as something lowered onto the field._

It was an angel, plain and simple. Covered from head to toe in glowing armor, the female form opened its eyes and looked upon Ichigo and Eri like they had angered the gods themselves.

Chaos started clapping. "You're so cool Seraphim!"

The angel opened her mouth and started to sing.

"She's no match for King of Swords!" Ichigo refused to believe that he was going to lose here.

"I didn't summon her in attack mode, I summoned her in defense." Chaos smiled slightly. "Get ready…Chaos Seraphim activates her special ability! When summoned she creates four Heaven Avenger Tokens!" Four male angels in gold armor wielding huge swords lowered onto the field. (3000/0)

Ichigo and Eri both stared at the five monsters in fear.

"Avenger number one, attack the wolfy's stupid King guy!" The angel yelled out a battle cry and flew towards the King of Swords.

"Reveal face-down trap card! Go Flash Bang!" An explosion of sound and smoke filled the field. "This trap card activates only if there is a Cyber Shadow in play. The attack of all monsters on my opponent's field will be cut in half for this turn!" (1500/0) Ichigo pointed at the stumbling angel. "King of Swords!" The warrior leapt forwards and slashed the monster apart.

Eri- 2800

Ichigo- 300

Chaos- 4400

Chaos pouted. "When an Avenger Token is destroyed as a result of battle, I gain 1000 life points."

Chaos- 5400

Eri drew. "Since my The Dark Door card is in play, you can only attack with one monster! And from my hand I play Pot of Greed!" She drew two cards. "Then I play the ritual magic card Death Ritual of Lithmus!" A huge black metal spire appeared on her field. "This card lets me sacrifice the Necro Master (1500/1800) in my hand and the Spirit Wolf on my field to summon Swordsman of Death Lithmus!" (0/0) A white-clothed warrior with a strange headdress and a pair of swords in its hands appeared on the field. "Then I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "It's my turn now Chaos! I summon Cyber Shadow-Retriever (1000/1000) in defense mode and set one card face-down. End turn."

Chaos smiled sweetly at the angels on her field. "During my draw phase my field is filled with more Avenger Tokens!" A new gold-armored angel floated onto the field to replace the one lost before.

Eri frowned, as did Ichigo. This meant there was no way for them to clear away the field until they could attack the Seraphim.

Chaos pulled a card from out of nowhere and then held it up. "Now I play Mystical Space Typhoon! Bye Dark Door!" A blast of wind shattered the only card that was keeping Ichigo and Eri from being destroyed by the wrath of heaven. "Now I attack with Avenger number one! Get rid of that mean King already!" The angel launched across the field…

"Reveal trap card!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up. "Dream Shield lets me sacrifice a monster on my field to raise the attack of one other monster by the sacrificed monster's defense points!" The Retriever faded away and the attack of King of Swords leapt up. (3600/2300)

Chaos pouted and pointed at Eri. "You're defenseless though! Attack Lithmus now!" The angle turned in mid-flight and raised its sword up to slash through the warrior.

"Reveal face-down continuous trap card!" Eri sneered. "Cry of the Beast lets me sacrifice 500 life points once per turn to raise the attack of one of my monsters by 500!"

"500 or not, it won't be enough." Chaos pouted.

"Oh? Well what if I told you that Lithmus has a special ability. When there is a face-up trap card on the field his attack is 3000!" (3000/3000) Energy flowed through the swordsman. "Then I sacrifice 500 life points to power up Lithmus!" (3500/3000) The swordsman snapped its swords in an arc and slashed the angel apart.

Eri- 2300

Ichigo- 300

Chaos- 5900

Chaos pouted and slid her two remaining cards into her disk. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Eri drew and glanced at Ichigo. ("He's running out of cards…and I doubt he can keep himself alive much longer.") "I play the magic card Bait Doll!" A wooden hammer appeared in the air above one of Chaos' set cards. "This magic card is shuffled into my deck after use, and it will automatically activate one face-down card. That card, if it cannot be activated in that situation, will be destroyed." The hammer fell down and struck the card.

Chaos stuck out her tongue and the card flipped up. "You picked the wrong card! The trap card you attacked was Chaos Thunder! This card will only trigger if there is an Envoy in play. Now I will destroy one magic or trap card! So I'll blow up your silly Call of the Beast and deal you 1000 life points of damage!" The card shattered and lightning arched through Eri's body. She screamed in pain and then collapsed to her knees.

Eri- 1300

Ichigo- 300

Chaos- 5900

Eri slowly stumbled to her feet, smoke coming off of her body.

Ichigo stared at the burnt Eri and started to tremble. "Chaos! I'm your target!"

"Shut up Pilkington." Eri spat some black blood onto the stone platform. "Because I have no trap card face-up, Lithmus now has no attack or defense points." (0/0)

"That means you've lost." Chaos stuck her tongue out at Eri again.

"Wrong!" Eri slid a card into her disk. "Grave Hand lets me send one monster to the graveyard! So I'll destroy your Chaos Seraphim!"

"No you won't!" Chaos' other face-down card flipped up. "Order of Chaos negates a magic card while there is an Envoy in play. Also, I take the top card of my deck and if it is a trap card set it face-down on the field, where it can be activated immediately." Chaos giggled as Eri's magic exploded. She drew and the card appeared on her field. "Yay! It's a trap!"

"I sacrifice Lithmus to the magic card Metamorphosis!" The white warrior disappeared was replaced by a hulking dragon. "This card lets me sacrifice a monster to special summon a fusion monster with the same number of level stars! Black Skull Dragon!" (3200/2500) The dragon roared at the Seraphim. "Now attack the Seraphim! Meteor Rain!" The dragon opened its jaws and released a spray of fireballs that suddenly turned in mid-flight and slammed into one of the Avengers, blowing it apart. "What?"

"When Seraphim is attacked, the attack is immediately redirected to an Avenger if it can be." Chaos tittered, while her life points dropped slightly and then rose.

Chaos- 6700

Eri's eye started to twitch in anger. "Go Black Dust Virus! This equipment magic card will equip to your monster. During my second standby phase your Seraphim will be destroyed! Also, I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Cannon!" (1800/1500) A huge robot that had a cannon for a head appeared on his field. "This card allows me to discard one card from my hand and sacrifice its attack to destroy one defense mode monster in play! Fire!" The cannon released a blast of energy that slammed into the angel and blew her apart. "And when this happens your Avengers die!" The two remaining angel warrior faded away. "King of Swords, double direct attack!" His warrior shimmered.

Eri- 1300

Ichigo- 300

Chaos- 1700

Ichigo spat onto the stone. "That's what you get, you annoying ugly little brat. End turn."

Chaos froze and her eyes slowly turned to look at Ichigo, like she had seen him for the first time since the duel had started. "What did you call me? Did you call me ugly?" She narrowed her eyes and a card appeared in her hand. "From my hand, the magic card Chaos Revival!" The Seraphim reappeared. "This magic card restores life to one of my Envoys! Return now my divine soldiers!" Moments later Seraphim was flanked by her four angel warriors. (3000/0)

Ichigo's eyes widened. ("You have to be kidding me…")

"Die!" Chaos pointed at Ichigo's King of Swords. "Avenger, attack now!" The warrior started to charge…

* * *

Daniel's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. "NO! He doesn't have any set cards left!"

* * *

"Reverse card open." Eri closed her eyes and pointed at her set card. "Martyr's Choice."

The Avenger stopped…and then turned to look at the Black Skull Dragon. Letting out a battle cry it charged towards its new target.

Chaos giggled. "I knew it! Reveal face-down trap card Chaos Unity! This trap card tallies the attack power of all light monsters in play together, though now only that single Avenger may attack this turn!" The other three Avengers and Seraphim started to sing, their power charging into the attacking angel. (14500/0)

Eri's eyes widened slightly…and then closed. She looked over at Ichigo, while the angel slashed through her dragon with no problem.

Eri- 0

Ichigo- 300

Chaos- 1700

Ichigo felt everything slow to nearly a snail's pace in time…and he started to move towards her. ("No….this can't be…")

Eri turned to look at Chaos. "You're good…" Her eyes widened as a sword found its way into her ribcage, lifting her off of the ground.

The other Avengers pierced their weapons into her at different points, lifting her up into the air.

Ichigo reached where Eri was just as the angels released her dead body at his feet. He slowly came to a stop. "Eri!" Falling to his knees, he shook her repeatedly. "ERI!"

* * *

Blood streaked the Chaos Crystal, as Rikuo roared in pure rage. He attacked the crystal with abandon, tearing away the skin from his fingers in his attacks. "NO! NO NO NO NO!" Exhausted…he fell to his knees, his forehead against the crystal. "Princess…….no………."

Everyone stared at the image, aghast.

"This can't be…" Kenshin just stood there, his jaw nearly hanging open. "But…"

Adriel closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"ICHIGO!" Rikuo leapt to his feet, punching the crystal so hard he most likely shattered most of the bones in his hand. "It's your fault! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP HER SAFE! ICHIGO!" The wolf demon fell to his knees again and started to sob.

Ryu watched the screen emotionlessly…

* * *

"It's time to surrender. Your girly is dead, and during my next turn so are you." Chaos' childish laughter echoed across the void, like this was just a huge joke to her.

Ichigo's crying drowned out her voice to him. He held Eri close to his chest, and his tears dripped down her face. "Wake up….please wake up…" It was his fault. He was supposed to keep her safe.

"_A promise?" Eri sneered and leaned in towards him. "What? And here's an even better question…do you think I'll honor it?"_

"_I promise nothing to anyone who demands it of me!" Eri turned and walked off._

Her corpse slid out of his arms slowly, and he stared at his palms, which were now soaked with blood. ("I killed her…I killed her! I should have stopped her from coming….") He began to sob again.

Chaos giggled, and her angels floated around her with their swords still wet from their last kill. "Get up and take your turn already."

"Take my turn…" Ichigo, who had his back to the girl, turned his head enough that one eye was looking at Chaos. "You do this…and all you can say is for me to take my turn?"

Chaos tapped her foot impatiently. "Yes? So what? She was just a mortal. If she didn't have the strength to keep herself alive then what was she worth? You, just like her, are nothing but a weak mortal."

Something inside Ichigo snapped. "Chaos…" He stood up, his back still too her. Small bolts of electricity began to build around him. "I didn't kill her….you did…"

"So what? Her life wasn't important."

Ichigo threw back his head and what came out of his voice wasn't something understandable. It was like a scream...but at the same time screams never left reverberations that echoed through reality in their wake.

* * *

Everyone was thrown against the back of the crystal room as cracks started to appear along the crystal's surface….

* * *

The stone platform started to crack…and the void began to warp all around them.

Chaos blinked in complete surprise. She had actually felt that burst of energy.

* * *

In another dimension Daisuke Ihachi, also known as Drake, brought his motorcycle to a stop. Looking up at the sky, he could have sworn he felt something tearing at the fabric of the dimensions for a moment. Brushing it off as just his imagination, he continued on his way.

* * *

"Chaos…" Ichigo turned, his form lined with crackling bolts of energy. His eyes, the irises now black, met Chaos'. "I will not forgive YOU!" At the last word the entire dimension throbbed as something pushed against it.

_To be continued…_


	32. There is hope for the boy yet

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 32: There's hope for the boy yet

Daniel groaned and rubbed the back of his head. ("That hurt...but what was it?") He slowly stood up, and his eyes refocused to show him the inside of the chamber again. "Hey...is anyone alive?"

"Don't talk so loud, my ears are still ringing." Siegfried slowly stood up and stared at the quivering crystal that sat at the end of the room. "So...what happened?"

"From what I can tell at the moment..." Ryu said from his spot next to the crystal. He barely even looked ruffled from the blast. "...the answer is still right above us."

Siegfried and Daniel both looked up, and immediately gasped at the image that hovered against the ceiling.

* * *

Deep within the dimensional pocket that was Chaos' home, a single stone platform hovered in the void. And on that platform, a competition of wills was taking place.

("He'll blink first, I know he will!") Chaos continued to match eyes with Ichigo.

The half-demon had undergone some changes in the last minute. Now his hair was night-black and much more wild, sticking out in different areas of his head. The same about his irises, which were a similar night black color. As a whole he seemed much more more feral and darker...and he matched the stare of Chaos without flinching in the slightest. Occasionally a random little bolt of electricity would arc along his body, but otherwise he didn't move at all.

And right behind him, in a small pool of blood, was the corpse of Erika Amero.

Chaos and Ichigo continued to match eyes...and then finally the spirit freaked out. "Why are you just standing there doing nothing?" She flailed her arms about angrily and stomped her feet. "Do something already!"

"I'm just letting you enjoy your last few moments of superiority," Ichigo responded calmly. "You just opened Pandora's Box...and that was your last mistake."

Chaos crossed her arms across her chest defiantly. "How do you manage to walk around with such a huge ego?" She glanced at Eri's corpse. "Excuse me while I clean up the field." She extended her will, wishing the corpse to be cast into the void where it would be destroyed.

"Do not touch her!" Ichigo said sternly. An aura of energy flared up around him. Unlike the demonic energy emitted by beings such as Rikuo though, this was something that surpassed darkness or light...it was simply power in its purest form. The aura that surrounded him was as black as his hair had become, and it pulsed with a wild life of its own.

Chaos stumbled back as her effort to eliminate the corpse was denied. ("That's impossible! This is my dimension...mine!") "Fine, I really don't care anyway. It's your turn, so hurry up and make your play so I can take my turn and eliminate you."

Ichigo remained expressionless and drew. "First I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then the magic card Team Sacrifice. I sacrifice all monsters on my field and gain life points equal to their total attack points." King of Swords and Cannon exploded into dust and energy flowed over him.

Ichigo- 4700

Chaos- 1700

"And then I play the magic card Reset Mission. This card can only be activated when it is the only card in my hand and I have no cards on my field. Now I shuffle my graveyard back into my deck, and draw five cards. Of course this costs half of my life points, so it's not so great." Ichigo held up his new hand and calmly fanned out the five cards. "Then again, you don't have five cards to work with, do you?"

Ichigo- 2350

Chaos- 1700

Chaos giggled. "Your deck is so silly. I know all about its power from my servants. Most of your monsters don't even have effects."

"I suggest you don't use your old data for this duel, because it will do you no good." Ichigo slapped a card onto his disk. "I summon Demon Shadow-Assassin!" (1000/800) The creature that formed on his field resembled his old Cyber Shadow monster, but its body flowed with a dark energy that made it far more powerful than it used to be. "When summoned, this monster destroys one monster in play." Lifting its hand, the Assassin pointed at the Chaos Seraphim. _"Die."_

Screaming in pain, the angel exploded into dust. And along with her went here four Avengers.

Chaos stared in horror as the Assassin appeared in front of her and slashed along her chest with a glowing energy knife.

Ichigo- 2350

Chaos- 700

Ichigo slid two cards into his disk. "I set two cards face-down on the field and end my turn."

Chaos stumbled to her feet. "You're such a meanie! I'm gonna make you pay!" She waved her hand and a card appeared. "First I play Card of Sanctity, so now we both draw until we hold six cards." Six cards appeared in her hand, while Ichigo drew three. "Then I play the magic card Chaos Flow! This card activates if I have three or more Envoys in my graveyard! Now they will all be special summoned to the field!" The forms of her Chaos Emperor Dragon, Black Luster Soldier and Chaos Seraphim appeared on the field. (3000/2500) (3000/2500) (2500/3000) "And then because Chaos Seraphim was special summoned, so are two Avengers!" Two gold-armored angels appeared on the field. (3000/0)

Ichigo seemed unfazed. "If I'm correct, I bet they can't use their abilities during this turn."

Chaos shivered at the calm to his voice. "Right, but they can still attack you! Go Avenger!" One of the two angels charged right towards Ichigo.

"Reverse card open." Ichigo's two face-up cards flipped up. "Assassin's Poison! This trap card can only be activated during the turn that there is an Assassin in play! Now that monster cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. Also, any monster that battles with it will be destroyed after damage calculation."

"It doesn't matter!" Chaos pointed at the warrior. "Your monster has only 1000 attack points!"

"And?" Ichigo pointed at his other card. "Temptation of the Shadow! This trap card can only work if I have a Demon Shadow in play with 1000 or less attack points. During this turn its attack will be increased by triple, and all monsters on your field must fight with it!" (3000/800)

Chaos stared in horror as her Seraphim went into attack mode and then the Assassin moved amongst her five monsters. Each one shuddered and blew apart.

Ichigo- 2350

Chaos- 200

Ichigo brushed some dust off of his shoulder, looking down at the ground. "You're boring me Chaos."

The spirit growled and held up another card. "I'm not done yet! From my hand I play the magic card Soul Absorption. As long as this card is in play whenever a card is removed from play I will gain 500 life points! Then I set two cards face-down and one monster in defense mode! End turn." She didn't look very entertained now.

Ichigo drew. "I summon Demon Shadow-Soldier (1600/1600) in attack mode." A much more powreful version of the helmeted warrior appeared on his field. "When summoned, I take one equipment magic card from my deck and play it. So I play the equipment magic card Special Operative Weapon-Evil Spear!" A ptich-black metal spear appeared in the hands of the warrior. "Now my monster is 500 attack points stronger! Attack now!" (2100/1600) The warrior threw the spear right at Chaos.

The spirit pointed at her set card. "I reveal my Unholy Chaos trap card! When activated all cards on the field will be sent to the graveyard on your field and I will gain 500 life points per card!" A vortex appeared on Ichigo's field and sucked his monsters all out of sight.

Ichigo- 2350

Chaos- 1700

Ichigo looked down at his hand and then smirked as Chaos' three cards, including the face-up Unholy Chaos, blew apart. "When Evil Spear is sent to the graveyard and it is equipped to a monster, then all magic and trap cards on the field will be destroyed and you will take 500 life point damage for every card destroyed."

Ichigo- 2350

Chaos- 200

Chaos started to twitch angrily. "Why you..."

Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "I play the magic card Monster Reincarnation. By sacrificing one card from my hand, I take back Soldier. Then I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

* * *

Daniel stared at the hovering image. "He's...incredible..."

Even Ryu seemed impressed. "Apparently his new power has changed his deck...made it stronger."

Siegfried rubbed his chin. "But can he beat a deck like that of Chaos'?"

* * *

Chaos drew. "I sacrifice my face-down monster to summon Airknight Parshath!" (1900/1400) A white-furred centaur in blue knight's armor appeared on the field. "Attack his life points directly!"

"Reveal A Hero Emerges!" Ichigo held up his hand. "Now select one card and the monter you select will be special summoned to the field."

"Who says I will select a monster?" Chaos was getting angry...and that was something that had never truly happened before.

"Because I know you will. Though your name is Chaos, you are too predictable." Ichigo held up his remaining three cards. "So make your choice."

Chaos pointed at the center card.

Ichigo placed it onto his disk. "Come out now, Demon Shadow-Guardian!" (0/3000) A jet-black colored robot appeared on his field in a crouching position.

Chaos growled and slid the last card in her hand into the graveyard. "When I cannot attack during a turn, I may discard Comforting Angel to gain 1000 life points. End turn."

Ichigo- 2350

Chaos- 1200

Ichigo drew. "It's funny really...that you can't touch me now. So tell me, how does it feel to be helpless?"

"I'm far from helpless." Chaos clenched her tiny fists, and the whole dimension started to throb in anger. "I will end this duel and destroy you!"

Ichigo placed a card onto his disk. "I'm sure you will. I summon Demon Shadow-Soldier in attack mode again." The helmeted dark warrior appeared on his field. "And this time I equip him with Special Operative Weapon-Vortex Socom!" A handgun appeared in the warrior's hands, but this one was pitch-black. "This card can once per turn cut the attack of one monster in half!" Lifting the gun, the Soldier pulled the trigger and a small ball of black energy slammed into the Airknight. There was a loud sucking noise and it slumped over. (950/1400) "Dark Energy Wave." Soldier raised its hand and a blast of energy launched across the field to blow the centaur apart. "End turn."

Ichigo- 2350

Chaos- 550

Chaos drew. "I play the magic card Reach into the Darkness!" A huge black claw exploded from the card and flew into the vortex. "This card will recover one random card from my graveyard and give it to me. After it is played, it is removed from play." The claw dropped a card into her hand. "So I play Card of Sanctity." The card disintergrated while she drew six cards and Ichigo drew three. Looking at the cards...Chaos broke down into helpless giggling. "I drew it...I drew it!" She started dancing around.

The errant arcs of lightning around Ichigo increased in frequncy. "You find something funny?"

"Yup!" Chaos threw a card into the air. "I remove a light and a dark monster to special summon Chaos Sorcerer!" (2300/2000) A black-robed spellcaster appeared on the field. "Then I use its effect to remove Guardian from play!" The machine faded.

"That means that it cannot attack." Ichigo knew he was stating the obvious, but he doubted that Chaos was completely sane.

"But I'm sacrificing him to my magic card Chaos Hell. This will let me place all three of the Envoys in my graveyard into my hand." The Sorcerer disappeared and three new cards were in her hand. "You'll love this part. My next card is the magic card Preparation for the Fallen. When played half of my deck goes the graveyard."

"How big is your deck?" Ichigo asked, though it wasn't really a factor to him.

"It's infinite. So therefore I now have unlimited light and dark monsters to use. Plus, the effect of Preparation for the Fallen lets me discard three Envoys from my hand to the graveyard." The three Envoys she had recovered disappeared. "And in return...I can special summon one monster from my hand to the field that will destroy you!" The prismatic light of the dimension started to fade.

"An infinite deck..." Ryu sighed. "I suppose that makes some sense, considering the deck's user."

"What would need three Gods to be summoned?" Daniel felt like the darkness that was gathering within the dimension was going to spring out and consume them all.

Chaos started to giggle, while Ichigo watched her unflinchingly. "Here it comes...the mighty fallen god! Chaos Fallen-Envoy of Hell!" (3500/3000)

Ichigo looked back at the fallen Eri...and then at Chaos. "I don't care how powerful your monster is...because you still are fooling yourself."

Chaos looked at him like he had just babbled. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." He pointed at her. "Do you think I was bluffing when I said that you had opened Pandora's Box?"

Chaos started stomping her feet. "Stop talking in riddles and just tell me what you mean, you stupid mortal!"

* * *

Ryu stared at the ceiling image...and sweat started to slide his down his face.

"What's the matter?" Seigfried poked the dragon demon a couple of times, but there was no response.

"I feel it gathering...but..." Ryu gulped. "That's not possible...how could he have..."

Daniel looked up at his son. "Ichigo...show her."

* * *

Ichigo's aura flared to life, and then it started to grow...

"What are you doing? Tell me what you were talking about?" Chaos paled. Something felt wrong here.

Tilting his head back, Ichigo screamed and the energy flared to the point that it consumed the whole platform. He continued to scream while the dimension and the darkness of the approaching Envoy were torn to ribbons by the surges of energy that hit the whole dimension like a tidal wave.

Chaos felt something that she could not destroy. It was an emotion that humans called fear. "What are you doing? STOP IT!"

Then all at once it stopped, and every reconfigured. Ichigo stood calmly on the field, with Eri's untouched body still behind him. "That was a taste of my power. Do you understand?"

Chaos growled, while a horrible cackling filled the air. It was from her Envoy.

"You aren't even worth my time now. Chaos, you cannot win because I am stronger than you are. In strategy, in power, and in purpose." Ichigo evenly pointed at her. "So bring your next Envoy! I'll send it away like I've done with the others! Feel the hopelessness as no matter how hard you try I tear down each and every one of your strategies. It'll give you some small measure of what I felt for every second that I knew you existed! You would stay out of sight, and cause suffering and pain...you coward! Before I leave this dimension, Eri will be avenged! Do you hear me Chaos, you will die!"

_To be continued..._

Author's Notes: I'm currently at home for Spring Break, so no replies on the next couple of chapters.


	33. Origins

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 33: Origins

"_You aren't even worth my time now. Chaos, you cannot win because I am stronger than you are. In strategy, in power, and in purpose." Ichigo evenly pointed at her. "So bring your next Envoy! I'll send it away like I've done with the others! Feel the hopelessness as no matter how hard you try I tear down each and every one of your strategies. It'll give you some small measure of what I felt for every second that I knew you existed! You would stay out of sight, and cause suffering and pain...you coward! Before I leave this dimension, Eri will be avenged! Do you hear me Chaos, you will die!"_

Chaos narrowed her eyes and pointed up to the sky, where a dark form began its descent. "We'll see just how powerful you really quite soon, won't we? Chaos Fallen-Envoy of Hell!"

The creature that landed on her field could have once been an angel. Except that it had warped beyond that kind of recognition. It had damaged wings, and its face was torn and melted. As a whole, the monster was disturbingly weak looking.

Chaos giggled. "When Fallen is summoned I special summon a Fallen Token (3500/3000) to the field." An exact copy of the monster appeared on the field. "When either of these monsters is destroyed, you take 2000 life points of damage. If you guess which one is the real card, then they both die. Otherwise, the token will just continuously return to the field."

Ichigo didn't seem that worried. "You only have one card remaining in your hand."

"So what?" Chaos held up the card and it disappeared. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can special summon three Fallen Demon Tokens (2000/2000) to the field. When these monsters are destroyed by battle you lose 500 life points. Also, you cannot attack either Chaos Fallen without first getting rid of my Demon Tokens." Three black-winged angels appeared on the field. "Now die! Attack Soldier, my first Chaos Fallen." One of the two fallen angels screamed, knives exploding out of its body and flying towards the warrior.

Ichigo raised his hand and the knives froze in place. "You are a fool."

Chaos' eyes widened. "You couldn't have done that!"

"I didn't." Ichigo pointed at his now face-up trap card. "Negate Attack did that. It negated your attack and ended your battle phase."

Chaos turned bright red. "End turn!"

Ichigo drew. One look at the card and he looked up at the five monsters on his opponent's field. "I see now..."

"You see what, mortal?" Chaos refused to let herself be pushed around by some insolent short-lived mortal that thought he was a match for her.

Ichigo's lips lifted enough to show his fangs. "I thought I could play around a little more...but from the looks of the field, I'm going to have unleash a bit more power to deal with this. Ready?"

Chaos felt it again... "What are you doing?"

"Just gathering some energy for this one. It's going to be one doozy of a summon." Ichigo held up a single card from his hand. "Chaos, prepare yourself. First I summon Demon Shadow-Shifter!" (800/1200) The black-suited ninja appeared on his field. "This monster activates its special effect when summoned. Now all monsters on the field switch modes." All of the fallen monsters on Chaos' field fell to their knees, as did Soldier and Shifter. "Then I play the magic card Shifter's Trickery. This will only work when Shifter is in play. I draw three cards." Sliding three cards off of his deck, he held them all up. "The Warrior Returning Alive, Polymerization, and a special card I will unveil in a moment. Now I play The Warrior Returning Alive to retrieve Assassin!" His graveyard spat out a card, which he caught and added to his hand. "Now the special card. I play the equipment magic card Soldier's Oath! This equipment magic card can only be equipped to a Demon Shadow-Soldier that is in play. When this monster is used in a fusion, I may take the monsters that were fused together and add them to my hand."

Chaos looked at all of her monsters...and she started to shiver. ("This has never happened before. When my fallen monsters are summoned any mortal should quiver in fear at the mere sight of them. And yet this one isn't afraid at all...why?")

Ichigo sneered and held up the Polymerization. "Come out now! I fuse Assassin, Shifter and Soldier to summon Demon Shadow-Rayden!" (2800/2000) The creature that formed onto his field was a humanoid warrior with long white hair and pale skin. "Rayden will take down the Fallen and its children without me taking any damage at all."

"That's impossible." Chaos pointed at her monsters. "When destroyed by any effect, you'll take damage regardless."

"Really?" Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "I play the magic card Trade from Hand to Grave. For every monster I discard, you lose a monster. So I discard Shifter, Assassin, and Soldier to force you to discard the three tokens." The three Fallen Angels disappeared. "And now the stage is set!"

"What are you babbling about?" Chaos frowned as Rayden smirked. "And why is your monster smiling?"

"Because his special effect activated! When a monster is taken off of the field as a result of an effect, I may discard a magic card from my hand to remove another monster from play." The Fallen token disappeared.

"I have still have the original! So that means you failed!" Chaos threw back her head and started to laugh.

"I did?" Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "Take another look! I equip Rayden with Dimensional Saber!" A glowing fencing saber appeared in the warrior's hand. "This card allows my monster to remove the monster it attacks from the game without destroying it. Also, the attack of my monster rises by 300." (3100/2000) "Go Rayden!" The warrior stabbed the demon and it howled in pain as it disappeared. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Chaos stood there, her eyes wide and unmoving. "It's impossible...You're just a mortal...how are you doing this?"

"I'm not sure." Ichigo sneered. "But then again, I don't care. Take your turn Chaos."

* * *

Ryu continued to stare at Ichigo's image with wide eyes. "The Dark Halo."

"The what?" Daniel broke his attention from the image to look at the dragon demon. "What's the Dark Halo?"

"Long ago, the demon race was in turmoil. There was war and hate, and nothing was getting done. In fact, at the rate everything was going, the whole demon nation was going to be destroyed." Ryu shivered as he felt another spike of energy crack the dimension crystal. "Then the Dark Halo appeared. No one was sure who it was in truth, but whoever they were, they had the power to overcome even the mightiest of the demon lords and through force made the demon nation behave itself. A few years after that the Dark Halo disappeared, and was never heard from again."

"So...you think that Ichigo is the reincarnation of this Dark Halo?"

"No. The Dark Halo is a state of being, not a person. If Ichigo has achieved it, then all I can say is that it truly is a random process. Either you are born with the potential to have it or you're not. What worries me though is that as long as he has this kind of power, he could quite easily kill all of us." Ryu rubbed some sweat off of his forehead.

Daniel frowned angrily at the dragon demon. "Are you saying that my son is capable of murder?"

"What I'm saying that anyone with the Dark Halo is capable of nearly anything." He frowned. "So it's going to take everything we have to make sure he doesn't snap near us."

"You're talking about him like he is some kind of wild animal!"

"He is in my mind," Ryu shivered as he felt the dimension crystal crack again. "Anyone with such power is."

* * *

Chaos waved her hand and a card appeared in her hand. "I draw and play Pot of Greed." Two cards appeared in her hand. "Now I play Monster Reborn on Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning!" (3000/2500) Her mighty soldier appeared on the field again. "And with its effect, Rayden will be removed from play!" The Soldier pointed its sword at the Demon Shadow.

"Activate quickplay magic card De-Fusion! Breakdown Rayden!" The fusion warrior blew apart into Shifter, Assassin and Soldier, who all appeared on the field in defense mode. "This means your effect was wasted, and during this turn you cannot attack."

Chaos' other card appeared on her field face-down. "I set this and end my turn. With only card in your hand, you cannot possibly have the power to defeat another Envoy. Give it up, you're tapped out."

Ichigo drew. "So says you, and we both know how right you have been lately about the invincibility of your Envoys." He looked at the drawn card and frowned. "Another monster card...but then again..." He set a card onto his disk. "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Chaos waved her hand and a card appeared in it. "Black Luster Soldier, attack Soldier!" The warrior leapt forwards and slashed the warrior apart. "Then I use the effect of Black Luster Soldier to attack Shifter!" Turning on one heel, the Chaos God slashed through the ninja. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. "I set another monster in defense and end my turn."

Chaos waved her hand and another card appeared. ("In one turn, I will have to unleash my absolute best. The true incarnate of Chaos.") "Soldier, attack Assassin and the newest set monster!" The warrior leapt forwards and slashed through both cards.

Ichigo held up the set monster. "Demon Shadow-Retriever (1000/1000) lets me pick up two Demon Shadows from my graveyard when it is destroyed. I'll take back Soldier and Assassin." Removing both cards from his graveyard, he added them to his hand. "Ready for the end?"

"What?" Chaos ground her teeth. "You can't..."

"Watch this." Ichigo drew. "I draw and play Polymerization! By fusing Soldier, Assassin and my set Demon Shadow-Blasemaster (2000/1600) I create Demon Shadow..." The two warrior appeared on the field and were pulled into a glowing vortex with the set monster. "Lord of Knives!" (3200/3000) A black-trenchcoat wearing warrior appeared on his field and sneered at the soldier. "When this monster is summoned, I may choose to either to destroy all magic and traps in play, or all monsters on your field!" The Lord of Knives threw his weapons and tore the set card on Chaos' field apart. "Now Lord of Knives, attack the Soldier! Knife Barrage!" The Soldier howled in pain and blew apart as it was pummeled with razor-sharp knives.

Ichigo- 2350

Chaos- 350

Chaos paled and waved her hand, a card appearing in it. "I...will still win..." She looked at the drawn card and smiled calmly. "For example, by playing Turn back the Clock I can discard one card from my hand to return my field to how it was a turn ago." Her Black Luster Soldier and set card returned. "Then I play the magic card Knowledge for power. By sacrificing Black Luster Soldier I can draw three cards." Three cards appeared in her hand and she started giggle. "Now the mean wolfie-boy is gonna lose. And by the way..." She pointed at Eri.

Ichigo glanced back, and gasped. Eri's fingers were twitching. "Eri!" Falling to his knees, he placed an ear against her back and heard a faint heartbeat. Spinning his head, he glared at Chaos. "Let her out of here! Send her back!"

"No." Chaos danced around happily. "I brought her back from the dead...but just barely. So you can watch her die over and over again."

Ichigo growled and dropped the single hand card, charging towards Chaos with impossible speed. Holding her up by the collar of her dress, he growled right in her face. "Bring her back to life fully, now!"

Chaos recovered from her surprise quickly. "Let me go!" A blast of energy tried to push him away.

Ichigo didn't even notice it. Slamming his fist into her gut, he roared right into her face once more. "I said bring her back!"

Gasping for air, Chaos felt true fear. She couldn't hurt this enemy... "Reveal face-down trap card! Warp of Time and Space!"

Ichigo was suddenly standing on a white marble platform that was hovering in the air above the Chaos Whale. "Where...how..." Chaos was at the other end of the field. "Damn you!" He charged...and was backhanded to his end of the field by a huge hand that was bigger than his body.

Chaos pointed at a hulking blob of black matter that was on her field. "Don't make Exodus mad. Believe me, it will make you pay for it." (5000/5000) "And when I discard three cards to the effect of my trap card, it is special summoned." Exodus made a noise like a chirping. "This beast is the essence of Chaos, for every turn it does a different effect."

"Like what?"

Chaos shrugged and pointed at the monster. "I don't know. We'll find out in a moment." It let out a noise like the sound of steam engine turning on, and bubbles fell down around the little girl's body. "Oh boy, I gain 10000 life points."

Ichigo- 2350

Chaos- 10350

Ichigo threw up his arms as Exodus sprayed out a black gas that blew Lord of Knives apart.

Ichigo- 550

Chaos- 10350

Chaos skipped a couple of steps and then hugged one of the tentacles of Exodus. "End turn! Bleah!" She stuck her tongue out at Ichigo.

Ichigo trembled, and then looked at the two beings of Chaos with pure hatred in his eyes. "You plan on torturing Eri? Wrong!" Spinning on one heel, he placed his hand against the demoness' back.

"What are you doing?" Chaos watched in awe as Eri coughed a couple of times and started to stir. "But...but..."

Eri's eyes opened slowly, and she looked up at the cold face of Ichigo. "What happened to your hair?"

"I got stronger." Ichigo stood up and turned to point a finger at Chaos. A small spark of energy started to build at the tip of it. "As for you..."

Chaos stumbled back, but she wasn't able to move fast enough. The spark turned into a blast of energy that blew a gaping hole into her chest and send her flying off the edge of the platform.

"That's payback for trying to play god. You aren't god. You're nothing but a weak little child with a tiny portion of power." Ichigo drew. "Now get back up here so I can finish this."

Chaos floated back onto the platform, the hole in her chest gone. "You're a jerk." Exodus made a squeaking noise and Ichigo's deck shrank down to five cards. "This turn Exodus discards your deck down to five cards. Also, you get to draw once and gain 3000 life points."

Ichigo- 3550

Chaos- 10350

Ichigo drew once and growled. "This will work." He slid a card into his disk. "I set two cards face-down and one monster in defense mode. End turn."

Chaos drew. And Exodus warped into a pyramid shape. "During this turn, Exodus deals damage through defense! Go now!" It sprayed the set card with gas and blew it apart.

Ichigo held up the destroyed card and smirked. "You destroyed Demon Shadow-Relay (0/1600) and that means I lose 3400 life points."

Ichigo- 150

Chaos- 10350

Chaos threw back her head and started laughing. "You're nearly finished. In four turns you will deck out, and you have no cards in your hand."

"Reverse card open! Hell Tempest! This quickplay magic card triggers when I lose 3000 or more life points from an attack. Now all monsters in our decks and graveyards will be removed from play!" Ichigo's deck shrank down to two cards.

Chaos lifted her hand and smirked slightly. "I don't like the way you said that. So let me shut you up."

"How are you going to do that?" Ichigo pointed at her and sneered. "I'm too tough for you to hurt."

Eri blinked at the confidence in Ichigo's voice. ("What happened while I was unconscious?")

Chaos winked, a little spark of prismatic energy at her fingertip. "That's quite true...however..." the spark turned into a ball...the ball turned into a sun...the sun grew. "We'll see how well you hold up, seeing as how you are made of flesh and blood."

Ichigo motioned for her to come.

Chaos let the attack fly...and it launched right past Ichigo's shoulder...and straight towards Eri.

_To be continued..._


	34. Stop Chaos before it is too late

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 34: Stop Chaos before it is too late

"_How are you going to do that?" Ichigo pointed at her and sneered. "I'm too tough for you to hurt."_

_Eri blinked at the confidence in Ichigo's voice. ("What happened while I was unconscious?")_

_Chaos winked, a little spark of prismatic energy at her fingertip. "That's quite true...however..." the spark turned into a ball...the ball turned into a sun...the sun grew. "We'll see how well you hold up, seeing as how you are made of flesh and blood."_

_Ichigo motioned for her to come._

_Chaos let the attack fly...and it launched right past Ichigo's shoulder...and straight towards Eri._

Eri saw the sun of energy hurtling towards her...and though she wanted not to feel any fear, she did. It was the fear of death that all living things have in their hearts. And so she closed her eyes and braced for the worst.

"That's enough Chaos!" Ichigo kicked backwards and threw himself in the way of the attack, pushing his shoulder against the sun. It offered a moment of resistance and then started to lose momentum. ("Like I thought. It's just too easy.")

Chaos grinned and latched her full power onto the sun. "Gotcha!"

Ichigo understood his mistake now, he was stuck. The sun of energy bulged in size and began to force him backwards. Though he had the power to deflect the attack, he didn't possess the necessary leverage. And without that he was as good as dead, regardless of how strong he was. Because like Chaos had said, he was nothing but flesh and bone. And unprepared flesh and bone was easy to destroy.

Eri opened her eyes to see Ichigo just a few inches away from her, and he was slowly being forced back towards her, while the ball of energy started to overwhelm his resistance. It was beginning to sear against his skin, and he felt his body pushing more and more energy into him just to keep it from consuming him instantly.

Chaos' strength against the ball was a steady stream, and soon it would completely destroy the boy. "And when it destroys you the explosion will also destroy any mortal on this platform. So no matter what you do, the girl will die."

Eri's blood ran cold as she realized that there was nothing she could do to turn this situation around. Her life rested in Ichigo's hands.

And the half-demon knew it as well. "Chaos...I will not let you hurt anyone in this world!" He screamed, and his energy spiked into the ball. It shuddered for a few moments and then exploded with the force of a small supernova.

Eri was hurled to her back, and she threw her arms up to try and protect her face from the blinding light that was raining down onto her. When the light faded, the first thing she picked up with her senses was the smell of badly burnt flesh. Opening her eyes, she saw nothing but scorchmarks on the ground in front of her. "Ichigo..."

Chaos smirked. "And the mortal loses. Everything is as it should be." She blinked in surprise as her vision fully returned and she saw Eri. "And amazingly you are still alive. So he actually managed to block my attack well enough to protect you from it?"

Eri slid into a fighting stance, though honestly she doubted she could do much to Chaos. "Keep away from me..."

"But don't you want to play?" Chaos smiled sweetly and started to approach the demoness. "I just want to play with you. It should only hurt for a moment or so."

Eri stumbled back and growled low in her throat. "I said stay back!"

Chaos just kept walking towards her...until a foot slammed into the side of her head and sent her flying a few feet backwards.

Kenshin landed on his feet and frowned, cracking his knuckles. "So you're Chaos? You seemed bigger on the screen." He slid into a fighting stance and eyed the unfazed girl appraisingly. "Now then, let's see what you can do."

"So one of the Seal Holders wishes to fight me?" Chaos tilted her head back into a more suitable position, barely even acknowledging the fact that she had been struck. The little girl giggled and waved her hand, nearly blowing the Crusader off of the platform with a blast of force. "How trite..."

"He isn't alone!" Griff said from behind Chaos.

"Neither is he." Hitokage flexed his fingers. He didn't know what would happen if he tried to suck the life out of Chaos, but if it meant that she would be stopped he'd risk it.

"And I won't let you hurt these kids." Jared, along with Adriel, and Krieger now stood behind Eri. "You can't beat all of us and our Seals."

"Au contraire." Chaos stomped her foot into the ground and a shockwave of energy sent every to the ground. "I can take all of you times ten. Not one of you mortals can hurt me. The only one of you that had that power is currently ash." Her eyes rested on Eri. "And as for you, little child, you're living on borrowed time. And it's time to collect." She lifted her finger, a prismatic spark of light at the tip of the digit. "Your boyfriend, by the way, made a nice screaming noise of pain right before he was incinerated."

Eri's eyes narrowed and she stood up slowly. "Chaos. You think that we're afraid of you? Far from it. I'm not scared of you, and neither is anyone else." She started to approach the malignant spirit with a fire in her eyes that couldn't be faked or created through false bravado. "Like Ichigo said, you're nothing but a child!"

"A child?" Chaos pouted and lifted her glowing finger to point right at Eri's head. "Let me show you that compared to you, I'm a god."

Eri stood her ground, and waited for death. "I will not run."

* * *

Daniel shook his head out as he felt Rikuo awaken within his mind. ("Hi...")

_("Who won?")_ The wolf demon's mental voice sounded incredibly low.

("So far...it looks like Chaos is going to win.") The half wolf-demon felt his other half look at the situation through his eyes, and Rikuo's spirits rose. _("Eri is alive! Oh my princess is okay!")_

("Rikuo...") Daniel tilted his head slightly so that Chaos' image was in his line of sight.

_("Chaos...if you dare to do what I think you're going to do...")_ Rikuo snarled within Daniel's mind...

Ryu rubbed his chin and looked up at the image worriedly. "And so it comes down to whether Chaos gets bored with us or not."

"What did you say?" Rikuo took over for Daniel in a heartbeat, ran over, and then grabbed the dragon demon by the collar. "Are you saying that there is no hope?"

"Exactly. Ichigo was our best bet of defeating Chaos. And now that he is gone, there is nothing we can do but stand here and pray that the random thought pattern of Chaos makes her forget about us. That will give us a chance to escape and plan some way of defeating her." Ryu brushed the wolf demon's hands aside. "And don't touch my suit. It's worth more than your life."

Siegfried rung his hands nervously. ("Krieger...please be okay.")

* * *

"I'll give you to the count of five to make your plea." Chaos smiled sweetly to Eri. "Get down on your hands and knees, and maybe I'll make your death slightly less painful."

Eri sneered and kicked a piece of damaged platform at her head. "Suck on this instead."

The rock bounced off of Chaos' forehead, and she frowned. "Fine. Die like a dog." The building ball of light on her finger fired and hurtled towards the demoness.

Eri watched it approach with full knowledge of the fact that she was about to die.

* * *

"Dodge!" Rikuo screamed at the image of Eri. "Don't just die!"

* * *

Chaos smiled and waved to Eri. "Good-bye."

"NO!"

Everyone turned their head to look at the edge of the platform. All they saw was something leap up from the side of the platform and then disappear.

Eri saw someone appear in front of her, and they snapped their whole arm in a batting motion. The ball shuddered and launched away from everyone into the open sky. There was a blinding flash of light that left everyone with spots in front of their eyes, but otherwise no one was hurt.

Chaos' eyes widened and she clenched her fists. "Why won't you die like other mortals?"

Ichigo coughed weakly and fell to his knees. "Trust me...I'm three steps away from it." And he meant it too. Even at a distance it was obvious that he was badly damaged. The explosion from the previous attack left him with only tatters of a shirt remaining, his jacket completely incinerated. All along his face and chest were numerous huge burn marks that showed raw muscle tissue under them. The worst damage though was that hisright arm was quite literally destroyed, with only slight remainders of muscle tissue remaining attached to his shoulder. "Eri...are you alright?"

The demoness stared at him in pure horror. "How are you even talking right now? You should be disabled because of pain."

"I should." Ichigo stood up weakly and looked at the damaged wreck of his duel disk. It was still operational, but only barely. He was amazed his deck didn't burst into flames when it was hit by the attack. "Now I have to win this...duel..." He started to fall, his vision slowly blurring away...

Except that someone was suddenly under him, giving him the necessary support to stand. "Adriel..."

The half dragon demon smiled to the half demon. "No one will defeat you until I've finished my grudge with you, Pilkington."

Ichigo started to feel faint, but a breath of energy flowed into his body as Hitokage helped Adriel prop him up. "Ichigo Pilkington, ever since you have arrived here at the academy nothing has been quiet." The blond-haired boy's lips lifted slightly. "For that I thank you."

Chaos growled and lifted her hand, another ball of energy at the tip of it. "Die!" She threw the ball, but Kenshin leapt in the way and slapped it aside.

"Ichigo," he glanced back at the half demon, trying to ignore the burns along the back of his hand. "Don't let Chaos think that she has won. I know that you possess the power necessary to take her out. Don't let the situation weigh down on you. We're with you every step of the way."

Ichigo felt even more revitalized.

Griff and Krieger both placed their hands on Ichigo's back, energy flowing into the half demon's weary body.

"Ever since I met you all I could think about was how I was friends with someone who is definitely going to make history," Griff started to say.

"And all I ever could think about was how you accepted me as a friend, even though I was quite obviously a threat to you," Krieger continued.

"I felt like I was simply helping you along at the side-lines, but then when the tag team duel came along, I knew that with your help I could prove my true worth as a duelist," Griff stepped in.

"And without you I never would have truly met Horus, who changed my life in so many good ways," Krieger whispered, his cheeks blushing as he was finally admitting to the fact that the voice of Horus in his head was truly real.

"Thank you Ichigo Pilkington," they both said together.

Ichigo smiled weakly, and then blinked in surprise as another hand touched the middle of his back.

"I'm still not sure what this is all about..." Jared couldn't really transfer energy, but he felt like every little bit would be helpful. "But I know that what you are doing is making a difference. Ichigo Pilkington...don't give up."

That little speech seemed the most important to Ichigo, just because it was by someone who was nearly a complete stranger to him.

Then a soft hand brushed against his cheek. "Ichigo Pilkington...I wanted to kill you originally. Then I defeated you and thought that my revenge was complete. After that you defeated me and left me with little more than shattered dreams and hopes of honor. However, when Negative was destroyed I started to see the truth. It took Octavian More and his sick methods of using souls to show me something I felt since the moment I laid eyes on you." Eri's hand turned his head to the side and she kissed him. And it was a kiss that lasted a good minute or so...

* * *

Rikuo's eyes nearly exploded out of his head.

Ryu snickered calmly and waited to see how the wolf demon was going to react.

Daniel took over for Rikuo, and threw his son a thumbs-up that would go unseen by the person it was directed to. "Now that's my boy!"

* * *

Eri pulled her lips away from Ichigo's. "Ichigo Pilkington, finish this duel."

Chaos looked disgusted. "Ewww! That's so sick. Mortals kissing is such a disturbing act."

Ichigo closed his eyes and smiled, no longer feeling pain from the horrible damage he had suffered. "Maybe so...but then again..." Adriel drew the top card off of his deck and held it up to him. "Now I've got some real motivation."

"So what?" Chaos pointed to her field. "Exodus has the power to quite easily destroy whatever you can summon." She blinked in mock surprise. "Oh wait, you removed all monsters from the game except for Exodus. That leaves you quite easily in the danger zone."

Ichigo closed his eyes and then opened them to look at the card resting in Adriel's hand. "This is the card...that will end this duel now."

"You have no monsters."

"That's about to change!" Ichigo's ruined disk whined and his face-down card flipped up. "Activate Return from the Different Dimension! At the cost of half of my life points I will special summon as many monsters from either remove from play pile that I can! Awaken now!" The sky above them all started to swirl and form into a huge vortex in the sky. And from within it emerged a trio of angry roars.

The first being to lower to the field was a huge silver-metallic robot that was built to slightly resemble a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Tossing back its hulking body, the machine roared and shook the platform. (Steel Titan-Rex (2800/2000)

The second was a green-armored bird-like robot with huge jets strapped across its body, along with numerous racks of missiles. (Steel Titan-Crane (2000/2500)

And the third was nothing but stream-lined fins. Splitting its mouth open, it screeched into the sky along with its brethren. (Steel Titan-Ray (2500/2300)

All of the collected Seal holders all gaped as the three Steel Titans formed an honor guard around them.

Chaos pointed at Exodus. "HAH! During this turn, the effects of all monsters on your field will be sealed. That means that Exodus cannot possibly be defeated by weaklings such as those three."

Ichigo pointed to a black metal cyborg and a little furball in a tuxedo that lowered onto his field. "I sacrifice Dark Mechanic (200/200) and Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh (300/200) to activate the effect of Mechanic! When I sacrifice two monsters I may special summon one machine fusion monster from my fusion deck." Something began to form in the air behind the platform. "Steel Titan-Arsenal!" (0/5000) A titanic bug-like robot as big as the Chaos Whale appeared alongside the other leviathan.

"Those won't be enough!" Chaos pointed at the blob of dark matter on her field. "Exodus negates all of their effects!"

"That it does." Ichigo nodded to Adriel. "However..." The half dragon demon held up the drawn card. "I play the ritual magic card Ultimate Composite!"

Each of the Steel Titans roared and lifted into the air, quickly disappearing from sight and into the cloud-cover. "This card requires I pay half of my life points and sacrifice all four of the Steel Titans from my field." Ichigo's eyes met the prismatic ones of Chaos. "However, now you will fall completely and utterly."

Chaos stomped her feet childishly. "Shut up stupid mortal! Your monsters have no effects!"

A screech that shook the air cut her off. The creature that lowered down to the field was twice the size of the Chaos Whale, and its steel body was perfectly polished to the point of being nearly blinding in shine. It didn't so much resemble a specific animal as it resembled a satellite.

Chaos stared at the machine in pure horror. "What...is that?"

Ichigo's hand pointed up at the looming satellite. "Steel Titan-Ultima!" (0/0) Screeching again, Ultima tilted its whole body to face Exodus and Chaos. "And now you're about to lose to the special effect of my ultimate Steel Titan!"

"But its effect has been sealed!" Chaos looked like she was going to throw a temper tantrum. "You can't win!"

"Ultima is immune to the effects of all cards!" Ichigo held his hand up into the sky. "For every card in my removed from play pile, Ultima gains 1000 attack points!" (16000/0) Huge solar panels opened up all over the moon-like machine, and light flooded the area.

Eri didn't feel blinded though...and neither did anyone else. They felt warm and protected.

Ichigo bit his lower lip and watched as particles of light were sucked into the panels. "Chaos, it ends here! Finish it Ultima!"

The satellite opened a panel at its front...and that panel revealed a single needle-point cannon. Energy gathered along the needle-point, and the machine started to hum rapidly. _"Activate Purifying Rain."_ The glowing needle-point released the ball, and suddenly Chaos' field was being pummeled by beams of burning white light.

The spirit screamed in pure pain, while Exodus sizzled away instantly. "This can't be...you're just mortals...you're just..." Chaos stumbled backwards. "No! I don't wanna get sealed away again!"

"You don't have a choice!" Ichigo held up his hand. "Begone!" Releasing what remained of his energy, he braced himself as an explosion shook the platform.

Chaos cried out weakly...and then blew apart into dust.

The platform began to crumble around them. And with one mournful cry of pain the Chaos Whale came apart into bits of prismatic dust.

Ichigo knew he was falling now...but he was so tired... ("I hope Eri will be okay...sleepy time...") The last thing his eyes saw was a flash of gold scales right beneath him.

_To be continued..._

To Seeker of the Soul: I can see where you are coming from, but more or less Ichigo is a hero. At least for now.

To G.O.T. Nick: That will be the last time in a while that I use Eri for the role as damsel in distress. She's starting to lose her patience with my antics.

To Star: Done and done.

To Seth: I try my best to provide good work to my public.


	35. Growing up a little

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Chaos Arc

Chapter 35: Growing up a little

Jennie Pilkington sat in the hospital room, looking out the window occasionally at the night sky. And metaphorically glued to her was her husband, who kept his arms wrapped around her waist. It wasn't like she wanted him to let go of her, but if she had the choice of either being by the side of her husband or son at the moment she'd take her son in a heartbeat. But at the moment Ichigo was in the emergency room of the nearby hospital that was located on the island of the Duelist Academy. The moment he had been admitted she'd been contacted. It had taken her all of three hours to arrive, at which point her husband had explained the whole situation to her.

After promptly beating the crap out of him for not telling her about this whole Seal card thing and Chaos, she then apologized and the two of them kissed and made up.

And while all this was happening, the rest of the Demon Lord crew, new and old, all sat in the waiting room of the hospital and, as the name implies, waited patiently.

Well, almost patiently. "Get off of my ears, you little brat." Rikuo glared at the child of the woman sitting next to him. For the last fifteen minutes the little human had made sport of tugging on the wolf demon's ears. While he was trying to be patient, there was only so much that the mighty Rikuo Amero could possibly take.

Sammy and Ashlet sat on both sides of Eri, trying to calm their friend's worried nerves. "Don't worry about it dear, he'll be okay."

"You saw the damage he has taken from the fight. I mean...one of his arms was gone!" The demoness clenched her fists and shivered as memories of the smell of burnt flesh appeared in her mind.

* * *

Deondre and CJ sat across from each other at a small fold-out card table.

"It's one to one...this is for the match." CJ shuffled Deondre's deck and handed it to the dog demon. "Let's see which one of the two of us has improved more."

Deondre took his deck and drew his opening hand. "You're nuts if you think I won't tear you apart in this duel. Just watch and learn."

* * *

Hitokage, Adriel, Griff, Krieger, and Kenshin all sat in a circle. Their chairs faced each other's and they all were discussing something conspiratorially.

"So how did Ichigo get the power necessary to fight off Chaos?" Kenshin sighed and rubbed his forehead. No matter what idea he came up with, he managed to shoot it down nearly immediately afterwards.

("I must discover what power Pilkington tapped into.") Adriel knew that the key to defeating Ichigo rested in figuring out how to match the boy's new ability.

Hitokage had his eyes closed, and at the moment was deep in thought. It actually was more of a state of meditation though.

Griff glanced over his shoulder at Eri and then looked in front of him and down towards the tile floot. ("I wonder if I can learn whatever cool power that Ichigo has.") Mental images of him slaying some horrible monster with his bare hands and then getting admired by Sammy flashed in his mind.

Krieger closed his eyes and prayed with all of his soul that Ichigo was going to be okay.

* * *

Siegfried, Amy, and Ryu all sat next to each other in a line.

"So Siegfried, does your son have a manager yet?"

"Amy..." Ryu coughed sharply. "What have we talked about when it comes to business deals?"

"Leave the students of the Duelist Academy alone." The woman repeated it like a child who had been made to remember something and was being asked to recite.

Siegfried stared at the two and face-fell. ("That is the most unlikely couple I could ever imagine in my life!")

* * *

In a dark throne room, a single statue sits in the most awkward place, which is right along the back right side of the room. The statue is the frozen body of Kilomet Sestros, the Torture King, which is locked in a warp of time and space.

And sitting in the black stone of the chair in the throne room, a shadowed figure tapped his fingers together a few times. "Things just keep getting more and more interesting. So the little half-breed has gained the power necessary to destroy Chaos..."

Midnight sat back in his chair and sighed. "However, I must keep my plans on the back-burner for now. Already, a new threat approaches to cause me problems. So for now I must sit back and let my unknowing puppets do my work for me."

* * *

Daniel was awakened by Jennie, who shook him a couple of times as the doctor entered the waiting room.

"Mister and missus Pilkington, I have good news. Your son has recovered from his surgery, and will survive."

There were no sweeter words to be said. Both half-demons smiled in relief and Daniel shook the doctor's hand . "May we see him now?"

"I don't see why not." Returning the smile, the doctor walked out of the waiting room with a small crowd following him.

* * *

Ichigo smiled slightly as his father walked into the room. He was currently covered from nearly head to toe with heavy bandages.

The most disturbing thing to Daniel was to see a stump where his son's right arm should have been. "Hey there sport...how do you feel?"

"Like I'm missing an arm and am in an enormous amount of pain." Ichigo closed his eyes and groaned. "So...how do I look?"

Jennie came running in and caught the half-demon in an almost crushing embrace. "Oh my baby!"

Ichigo kicked a couple of times and started to turn blue in the face.

"Dear, please let our son go before he dies from lack of air." Daniel gently unhooked his wife from Ichigo and pulled her away.

Ichigo coughed a few times to get the air to flow again...and then he looked at the door. Everyone was standing around the entryway. And then they all stepped aside to let Eri in.

Jennie wrestled with all of her might to get out of Daniel's grasp, but he refused to let her go. Finally she gave up and let herself be taken out of the room.

Eri sat down in a chair next to Ichigo's bed. "I...missed you very much over the last couple of days."

"I've been out for two days?" Ichigo groaned and pressed his palm against his forehead. "That means I've fallen behind in the homework. ARGH!"

The demoness stared at him like he had lost his mind. "You've lost your right arm and you're more worried about some lousy homework?"

Ichigo looked down at his bandaged shoulder like he had noticed it for the first time. "Oh yeah...that's true huh?" Reaching out, he took one of her hands with his and held it gently. "I really don't care all that much. As long as you are safe and happy, then so am I."

Eri closed her eyes and shuddered. Her ears drooped gently and her shoulders slumped. "But it's my fault that you are even in this predicament. I offer you my..." Her next words were cut off as he leaned out of his bed and kissed her.

They stayed that way for a few seconds, and then Ichigo withdrew his head. "There's no need to apologize. I'm sure that everything will be okay. Now smile a little."

Eri wiped the blush from her cheeks and hugged Ichigo. "You are such an idiot."

* * *

Hundreds of miles away from the Duelist Academy, there rested a fortress-like building in the middle of a huge icy tundra. It was North School, the rival academy to the Duelist Academy set up by Seto Kaiba. And at the moment anyone with ears could tell that something important was going on inside the walls.

"Principal, the Extraordinary Eight sent in their reports. All of them have completed their training."

The Principal of North School was a black-haired man in a black jacket and black business pants. His eyes were the color of pencil lead (off-grey) and he carried himself with the pride of a king. "I do not believe that they actually have. Send them back out into the field for another two weeks of survival training."

"As you wish it." The aid walked off with a grimace on his face. Each member of the Extraordinary Eight of North School were scary to talk to, much less disappoint. ("But that's what you can expect when dealing with a bunch of teenagers who possess powers and skills that make them the best of the best.") That was exactly what the Extraordinary Eight was. Just like the Duelist Academy had a top eight tier of duelists, so did North School. But these top eight were an organized duelist force with the power to overcome nearly any challenge, both physical and mental.

The Principal smiled slightly and looked out across the courtyard of North School, which many people had said was reminiscent of an old western town. All across the area numerous duels were in progress. "At this rate, we'll be ready for our invasion. The Duelist Academy will fall to us." He threw back his head and laughed coldly. No force on earth would be able to stop his ultimate goals from coming to pass.

_End of Season_

Author's Notes: And my break is over. You can start expecting more chapters in the next few days.

Now on an added note to my fellow authors and creative type people. The Extraordinary Eight have (obviously) eight spots. Four of them are filled with my characters. But the other four are open for new characters of your creation. So submit them if you wish. They can use any kind of deck, whether it be fictional or not, but since there are only four spaces the most interesting characters will be the ones I'll use.


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